For MBA graduate Rajeev Bhaskar, the thought of leaving his job to do farming was never on his mind, but today, he grows residue-free Thai guavas.

Here’s how the drastic career change transpired in his life.

As part of the sales and marketing team of the VNR Seeds company in Raipur, Rajeev spent four years interacting with farmers from different parts of the country.

So, in 2017, he took a leap of faith and quit his job to grow these fruits on the five acres of land that he leased in Panchkula, Haryana.

The land was owned by another Thai Guava farmer. “The guava trees at his farm were three years old and bearing fruits. I took over and started nurturing the trees,” he says.

“I wanted to make sure that my produce is safe and clean for consumption. Therefore, I adopted residue-free farming,” he explains.

Residue-free farming entails growing produce using organically-derived biocides and bio fertilisers to protect crops and help them grow.

The method does not leave any chemical residue behind and is said to be economical and yields higher productivity.

Today, Rajeev has expanded the farm to 25 acres of land, growing 12,000 trees which earns him a profit of around Rs 6 lakh per acre, he informs.