Mangaluru: Chethan Shetty from Bellare in Sullia quit his corporate job in Bengaluru in 2017 to take up farming, a journey that began with small experiments and gradually expanded into cultivating multiple crops on his ancestral land.Shetty, who spent around eight years as sales engineer with a water filtration company, developed an interest in mushroom cultivation while living in Bengaluru. He started with a small setup at his rented house before expanding operations on his farm alongside arecanut and coconut plantations. Even while employed, he had introduced intercrops such as pepper vines, rocket pepper and nutmeg.After becoming a full-time farmer, he planted around 550 rambutan trees and 50 mangosteen saplings in 2017 on land that previously had cashew trees and barren patches. He also took up turmeric cultivation but struggled initially because of poor market prices.To improve returns, he began processing turmeric into powder, packaging it and selling it through social media, marketing around 165 kg by the end of 2017.Shetty said it took nearly four years for the orchard to generate significant yields, making the initial years financially difficult. Most of his savings went into developing the farm, while operational costs were higher than he had anticipated.Income from arecanut, vegetables, rice, honey and coconut oil helped him weather strong headwinds during those initial years.As production increased, he began selling at weekly organic markets in Mangaluru. His rambutan harvest grew from about 300-400 kg in the first season in 2020 to around 5,500 kg in 2022, before falling to 1,000 kg in 2023 and 400 kg in 2024. Production recovered to about 3,000 kg in 2025, and he expects a good harvest in 2026.Shetty said the market is currently witnessing a supply glut as more farmers have taken up cultivation of similar crops.With most of his produce now sold through wholesale buyers across the country, he said his order book remains healthy. He also works with a network of farmers cultivating similar crops to coordinate marketing and streamline supplies.
