Mr. D.M Ramesh belongs to Daradahalli village in the state of Karnataka. He has passed his pre-university course. He cultivates crops such as areca nut, pepper, and coffee on his 15 acres of land.
As per him, our society’s growth depends on the area’s environmental circumstances. His ancestors engaged in agricultural practices, so his interest in agriculture has been increasing. In his earlier days, he wanted to cultivate crops on his own land but couldn’t afford it because he lacked sufficient finances. In search of employment, he moved from Coorg to Mudigere. For survival, he opened Seetha Bangles Store in 1987.
After he got married after a couple of years, he became involved in the timber business in order to stabilize his financial condition. In 1995, he owned 15 acres of land for cultivating crops including banana, areca nut, pepper, and coffee.
Though he faced many difficulties in his agricultural practices, he didn’t choose to quit farming. However, between 2002 and 2008, the price of coffee decreased from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 700. He decided to continue farming, as he believed that if he worked with his full devotion, farming would never fail him.
In 2004, when he decided to fully focus on farming, he moved out of the city. He stuck to farming even after facing so many ups and downs. He started receiving good prices for pepper, areca nuts, and coffee in 2008. When he started earning a sufficient amount, he started paying off the loan with help from the government.
For the development of plantation crops, he used Farm Yard Manure (FYM). During the months of June and September, he used chemical fertilizers that ranged from 400 to 500 grams of NPK for each pepper plant. Mr. Ramesh believes that a real scientist in agriculture is an experienced farmer.
Further, he received the Progressive Farmer Award from the University of Horticulture Sciences, Karnataka, and Shivamogga. Later on, he also got an award for the Best Farmer Award from a Pepper Growers Training Institute.
He also said that if you have dedication to your work, you can achieve anything.