PERNEM: This engineer-turned-farmer’s life story is truly an inspiration for all. And for those who are looking at new and alternate career options, you can take a leaf out of Chaitanya Malik’s book.
The 28-year-old Computer Science Engineer could have pursued the same job opportunities as his colleagues but his heart was set on taking up something more traditional. Besides, getting a chance to step away from the bustling city life and not being limited to a regular 9 am -to-5pm job, Malik wanted to be his own boss.
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So after graduating from Goa College of Engineering, he didn’t choose the beaten path and instead went for agriculture and dairy farming.
The result, he now has his own successful brand known as the Dr Malik Farm at Hasapur, Pernem.
Incidentally, Malik’s family members were holding either government or well paid private jobs. This is significant as it’s often the case, the children take up farming as their parents and grandparents were into that line.
Blessed with ancestral property, Chaitanya decided to slowly develop the land. He explained that there is almost 1 lakh sq mtrs of a central property, some of which he has used for the cultivation of vegetables, rice, coconuts, fruits and other organic products.
“Around 2 acres of land is kept for cultivation of rice followed by coconut, banana and cashew plantation. Lady finger, papaya, turmeric and some spices are few season crops that are also cultivated, which further goes for sale in horticulture or retail shops,” he added.
And this is not all. Malik, is also into dairy farming and has 15 cows and 9 calves. He produces around 60 litre of milk every day, which is also sold in retail stores.
Not one to rest on his past laurels, he is looking at expanding. He is presently operating from a cowshed of around 1,000 sq mts, which he wants to convert into a 1,800 sq mts open cowshed, which will allow the cattle to move around.
Malik is also keen on exploring the agro-tourism place given that Pernem is slowly becoming a popular tourist destination. He feels he can create the perfect natural settings at his place at Hasapur.
When asked to comment about the risk and reward factor, if others had to also opt for farming, Chaitanya felt that there is a lot of potential, scope and growth.
However, he cautioned that there is need for a change from the government side with respect to certain processes as well as the subsidy policy.
“The subsidy that is provided by the government on different schemes is the main and common problem. Since there is no specified time limit for the government to credit the subsidy amount, crediting subsidy amounts gets delayed for two to three months and sometimes even for an entire year, which makes the farmer suffer,” he concluded.
