Melvin has always been always been a source of inspiration for me. And now when I saw his entrepreneurship skills being praised and published in ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, which is a national daily, along with this photograph, my joy knew no bounds.
When I read the article, I thought about all the hours he spent at the site, after coming from the office, the long trips to Chennai to procure the motors and the tension he endured to ensure a safe journey for the tiny fish babies from Hyderabad ( while waiting for their boxes at the Trivandrum railway station). Not just that, he also started a WhatsApp group to help others and continues to support people, who need help through messages, email, and phone calls. All this while having a full time IT job, as well as a family and a full-time member of multiple Christian rock bands !
I am so proud of his achievement and I am sure, this would a great inspiration for several farmers, and small-scale entrepreneurs who are looking for an additional income, considering how bad their current situation is, thanks to drought and poor planning by the authorities. I am sure, Melvin has far are more great heights to scale and this is just the beginning for all that. All the best, my friend.
( If you have difficulty reading from the image, please check out the text content below. Picked from ‘The Hindu’, November 9th, 2018 – Trivandrum Edition )
Meet the fish farming enthusiasts in Technopark
Jaison C Augustine erases stress by spending time near a pond at his home at Mankuzhy, near Sreekaryam. Ever since he took to fish farming, it has been more than just a pastime for Jaison, an employee with IBS Software at Technopark. “I find it invigorating to take care of the fish and do errands on my farm. What is interesting is that when I am there, the fish seems to sense my presence,” says Jaison. He started the farm with his neighbour, Ajith Kumar, 10 months ago.
Jaison isn’t the only techie who is hooked to fish farming. Two other employees of IBS, Melvin John S and Vivek Livingstone, have been running a farm at Vazhayila, along with Vivek’s brother-in-law, Vipin George, for one year now. Both these farms had their first harvest and the second batch of fish is getting ready.
Homestead fish farming, they say, was the best option because the initial investment was less compared to other business proposals they had in mind. “We wanted to break free from the stress-filled nature of our jobs and do something that gave us a chance to spend time outdoors. I have been in the IT field for 12 years now. Nowadays, after winding up my work by 7 pm or so, I travel all the way from Technopark to Vazhayila to work on the farm. We may have to clean the filter or attend to technical snags, if any. I don’t mind staying back till midnight to finish the work and then go to my home at Pattom. I don’t find it tiring,” says Vivek.
Bankable variety
Both the farms breed Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), a strain of tilapia. Tilapia is the widely farmed variety of fish across the world and farming of GIFT is fast picking up in the state, with the seeds or fingerlings being supplied by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture in Vijayawada. The popularity of this variety is on account of its adaptability to adverse weather conditions and high protein content, Melvin explains.
However, these techies point out that running the venture is no cakewalk. “It takes at least six months for the fish to be ready and there is no easy way out to get a good harvest. There is a lot hype about fish farming and the general perception is that you just have to have a pond to start the farm. There are several challenges. You have to constantly keep a track on the quality of water. Waste accumulation should be avoided. The quality of seeds is also important since duplicate seeds are available in the market,” elaborate Melvin and Vivek.
Both the farms use Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) to keep their ponds clean. The technique filters the water from the pond and it gets reused every time. “However, we have to clean the filters regularly. We also have to keep an eye on the health of the fish. Heavy rain, for instance, is not good for the fish,” Vipin adds.
Moreover, they say that it would be futile to expect a bumper harvest initially. Melvin says that they got approximately 750 kg in the first phase. “Honestly, we had expected more. Nevertheless, the entire harvest was sold off within hours among friends,” he says. In fact, they have started farming in one more pond, thus increasing the total farming area to four cents. The next harvest is likely to be in March.
Jaison, meanwhile, in spite of falling short of expected production, has added half a cent to the existing one-and-a-half cents in the second phase of farming. It should be ready to harvest by January. “We have rectified the mistakes that we committed in the first phase,” he says. He has started aquaponics [combination of aquaculture and hydroponics] as well. “I have planted long beans, bitter gourd, tomato, amaranthus and other plants. The harvest is for household use,” Jaison adds.