KOCHI: Ajay Gopinath, of Muralika in Chittoor in Ernakulam, who quit his bank job and started farming, prepared the ground for it in two AC rooms of his house. The farming is on lined trays. The daily profit is three thousand rupees.

Success is achieved in microgreen cultivation where the seeds germinate and the leaves and stalks can be fed as such. This is what we see in the burger, the food of the new generation.

He quit his job at Citibank four years ago at the age of 46, but started a business called Grow Green a year ago.

Packed stalks and leaves are sold in supermarkets and hotels in Kochi. It is also available for sale online. The production was up to 10 kg per day. During Covid time, about five kilos are sold.

Investment, profit

100 sq ft room, air conditioner, fan and lights

40-50 trays, shelves to line these up

An additional investment of Rs. 30,000 is required

5-10 kg: One day sale

Rs 150: Price per 100 gram packet

Rs 3000: Daily profit

Cultivation method

Cover the top of the two-tiered tray with water. The seeds are sown in the coconut pith.

The roots should be able to touch the water in the bottom layer through the holes in the tray.

The temperature should be set at 25 degrees and the humidity at 40-60 percent. No fertilizers or pesticides are used. The thing is in cleanliness. It can be harvested in six to 15 days. Each time the coconut pith and water are changed.

Rich in nutrition

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Consume it uncooked. Malayalees mostly use it as a salad.

Seeds

In addition to beetroot, mustard and sunflower, 15 varieties of radish red, radish Chinese rose and Bok‌ Choy. More than 150 seeds are available. Seeds are bought from Bangalore, Chhattisgarh and Pune. Some are also available in Kerala.