Kerala Couple Returns Home to Start Organic Farming, Grow 7 Traditional Rice Varieties

Pavithra A and her husband Mohammed Rinas did not enjoy their work life in Mumbai and always longed to go back home to Kerala.

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So, when in 2016, Pavithra found out about a project, which promoted conscious and self-sustaining development in the region, by the Salim Ali Foundation in Kerala, she immediately decided to join it.

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So, she left her job as an HR, and soon after, her husband, who was a mechanical engineer, also followed her to Kerala.

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As part of the project, the couple would educate people about the benefits of organic farming and clean living.

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After working on the project, the couple was compelled to take up organic farming. They leased around 15 acres of barren land in Vellangallur and started cultivating traditional rice varieties.

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Pavithra says, “We didn’t have enough money to kick-start it. So, we had to pawn some jewellery from Rinas’ mother, and that’s how we started our farming journey.”

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Rakthashali, kuruva, thavalakannan, kunju kunju red rice, njavara, kodukanni and pattambi are the traditional rice varieties they have cultivated so far.

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Today, the couple has expanded their farm to 20 acres, which produces 15 tonnes of paddy on average annually.

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Additionally, they also sell value-added rice products like puttu (logs of rice flour steamed with coconut) powder, flattened rice, etc.

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The couple sells kuruva rice for Rs 90 per kg and its rice powder and puttu powder for Rs 140 per kg through their social media platforms.

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“The shift wasn’t easy, but I don’t have any regrets. I hated working in air-conditioned offices, and now I’m happy that I get to work in the field,” says Pavithra.

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