During the COVID-19 lockdown, Someshwar Singh, a high-earning engineer in Noida, found himself back in his small village of Madhupur Khadri, Amethi. With offices closed, he began working from home while also using the time to reconnect with his roots on his family farm.

“As a child, I spent a lot of time on my father’s farm, so I know a little bit about farming,” he recalls. This spark of familiarity, combined with free time during remote work, led him to take a bold step into farming.

Someshwar began researching farming opportunities and decided to grow papayas. “Very few farmers were growing papayas in my district, so there was no competition for sales or better prices,” he says.

By March 2021, he had planted 5,000 'Red Lady 786 Papaya Taiwan' saplings on four acres of land. To enhance soil fertility, he added 75 tonnes of cow dung and prepared beds, spacing them six feet apart with eight feet between plants.

Someshwar also set up a drip irrigation system, taking advantage of a 90% subsidy offered by district officials. “I use Neem oil instead of toxic pesticides, but sometimes, I need to use less harmful pesticides like Imidacloprid to save the crop from viruses,” he explains.

Remarkably, in just six months, his farm began yielding papayas. “I managed to sell about 20-25 quintals in one harvest. On average, I earn Rs 20 per kg of fruit,” he shares.

Initially, Someshwar’s parents were worried about the investment. “But I went with my gut feeling, and now my family is happy with my decision,” he says.

Someshwar’s four-acre papaya farm generates about Rs 15 lakh annually (as of 2022). “I managed to earn nearly thrice what I had invested,” he says.

His success has inspired others in his village, with three to four farmers who have large farmlands now planning to grow papayas. “I help them with techniques and suggestions because I have done a lot of research in this regard,” he says.

Offering advice to other farmers, Someshwar suggests, “Different farmers should grow different crops. This reduces competition and helps fetch better prices. Don’t be afraid of taking a risk in farming.”