Farmers wanted: Organic unit in Mandya offers jobs to those interested in agriculture

MYSURU: The Covid-19 crisis has compelled industries and various private companies to lay off employees, reduce salaries and adopt other such drastic measures in order to remain viable. However, Grassroots Organic, a group dedicated to farming in Mandya, is offering employment to those keen to work in one of the world’s oldest professions: Agriculture. What is more, the pay they are offering is by no means modest – starting from Rs 10,000, those selected can earn up to Rs 30,000, with free boarding and food into the bargain.
Grassroots Organic was started by a group of six professionals in the technical sector.Kamalesh M, one of the founders, said that they were currently in need of 30 people who had a passion for farming. “The job will entail cleaning the farm, ploughing, sowing and marketing too,” he said.
Emphasising the need for an innate passion for farming, and affinity to the land among candidates, Kamalesh said that the salary would be decided based on the applicants’ skillset, and the responsibilities one is willing to shoulder.
Grassroots Organic has been active for the past two years, and has enlisted the assistance of locals, including women self-help groups. Cold-pressed oils extracted from groundnut, coconuts, safflower and sesame are among the products they are involved in the preparation of. “We use a gaana driven by a bullock. The gaana is in Nelamane village in Srirangapatna,” Kamalesh said.
The cold-pressed oil, Kamalesh said, was being supplied to more than 800 households in Bengaluru and other towns across the state. “We are planning on diversifying our products by bringing out dairy products and preservative-free food products soon. The highlight is that we will be taking our products directly to the customer,” he added.
Organic farmer Honnur Prakash of Yalandur taluk in Mandya, said, “Farmers will incur no losses if they take to organic cultivation. They will be able to market the produce themselves, which will drive up their profit margins.”