When a teacher explores new frontier during lockdown
Agriculture
By Shwetha S
Belthangady, July 21: Ever thought of who the grower is when you purchase a vegetable at shops? Though it may sound a vague idea, a tech-savvy farmer is all set to make it a reality shortly.
Dr. Sathyanarayana Bhat, an Electrical Engineer, who is now serving as Associate Professor at SDM Institute of Technology- Ujire, has taken various initiatives to give a tech touch to farming and ‘Know Your Grower,’ is the latest one.
For Dr. Bhat, farming was always a passion. Though he had involved himself in agriculture, now he has taken up vegetable farming in large scale after the recent lockdown.
Of the various types of vegetables, cucumber is the first one to come to the market. Others are likely to come in few weeks. Instead of just selling at the nearby shops, Dr. Bhat who decided to sell it by labeling it.
“I had seen the labeling done for the Mattu Gulla. It is a good concept and thus I too decided to label it using our brand. Our ‘Nandana.’ brand is available at Jain stores in Ujire,” Dr. Bhat told The Canara Post.
Though Dr. Bhat focuses on modern and IT touch to farming, he has ensured that the vegetables are grown in the traditional method. Only the manure and waste decompose is used as fertilizer. Instead of pesticides, he uses gow mutra or such traditional methods to spray on the plants.
Farming is a part of life for this family. Dr. Sathya’s wife Shaileshwari, father Subrahmanya Bhat, mother Saraswathi Bhat, his brother and sister in law are actively involved in agriculture. Dr Bhat’s wife is assistant professor at SDM Institute of Technology.
The Nandana brand started selling vegetables last week and in one week, Dr. Bhat has sold about 1.25 quintals of cucumber.
“The main thing that attracts people is the labeling. They feel this as an authentic product with good quality,” Dr. Bhat says.
“In the coming days, I have decided to add a new feature of ‘Know Your Grower,’ to this. The label will have a small QR code. Anybody who purchases can scan the code using his mobile and go to our Facebook page. I will upload all the details used for growing that particular vegetable. This will bring more confidence about the product among the public,” he adds.
Customers who purchase the product too are happy with it. Many of them call Dr. Bhat and give their response.
“Cucumber plays a vital role in our daily food. It also helps us to keep our skin healthy. I got this chemical free cucumber today at Ujire grown by Dr. Sathyanarayana Bhat which made my day. I have recommended this to many,” Ms.Nagalakshmi C, Senior Manager, Union Bank says.
Dr Bhat thanks Shyam Prasad Perne who initially guided him in cucumber cultivation and Roopesh Dharmasthala who helped in providing information about the traditional method.
