Hailing from a farming family, Philip Chacko dreamed of becoming a commercial farmer while he pursued his MBA.

Despite family resistance, he quit his corporate job and got his hands dirty working for a plantation in Kottayam for three years.

Later, in 2019, the 35-year-old started vegetable farming on a 30-acre land in Palakkad.

“From the very beginning, my idea was large-scale farming, otherwise known as a vegetable estate,” he says.

He cultivates okra, long beans, pumpkin, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, spinach, cucumber, green gram, sesame, black gram, onion, potato, shallot, and fruits like papaya and melons.

He sells the produce under the brand ‘Pure Harvest’ to small shops and markets, instead of supermarket chains.

Besides his own land, he has also expanded to contract farming, where the total cultivated land of the associated farmers is over 200 acres.

He gives farmers Re 1 higher than the market price. “The equipment and machinery needed for farmers are provided by me. Mostly, farmers come to me voluntarily as the price is better here,” he says.

His produce is safe to eat and residue-free, he explains. Philip also provides consultation to farmers to start it commercially.

Today, he earns an annual turnover of Rs 4.4 crores. He wants to make his brand available all over Kerala.

“Everyone has a concept that agriculture is meant for the uneducated. This should change and more youngsters should get into farming. If done correctly, it is one of the most profitable businesses,” he says.

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