An improved variety of turmeric has made Chandra Sekhar Azad a community icon.

Even at the age of 72, he is still young in his words, deeds and thoughts. Needless to say, when it comes to agriculture, his enthusiasm and determination outdoes that of youngsters these days.

Meet Mr. P Chandra Sekhar Azad, a 72-year-old enterprising farmer from Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh, for whom agriculture is not a mere money- making business. It is his vision, passion and mission. And for those who always lament that agriculture is a loss, Azad's story is going to be a big inspiration.

Azad's innings as a farmer began 22 years ago. "I was running a small printing press at Vijayawada till the age of 50. Later I turned to farming -- cultivating turmeric, paddy, maize, banana, etc in my nine-acre land, which I inherited from my father" Azad recalls.

Like any other farmer in the area, turmeric was his main crop and he was growing the local cultivars, Duggirala, Kadappa, Armoor, Tekurpet etc. "Turmeric was not at all profitable at that time because of low yield and high disease incidence", he adds.

Azad began searching for a high-yield and good-quality turmeric variety. "It was seven years ago that I came across the Prathibha variety of turmeric, developed by the IndianInstitute of Spices Research (IISR), Calicut, Kerala."

Azad started cultivation of Prathibha in 2004 on an experimental basis, procuring 50 kilogram of rhizomes from Kerala. It was the beginning of an unending saga of an aged, yet industrious, farmer.

"From 2007 onwards, things have changed a lot. My turmeric production has increased many folds. I started supplying seed rhizomes to horticultural departments and other farmers in the area" Azad says.

During the last crop season, Azad cultivated Prathibha in 2.75 acres. "I am following organic farming methods with minimum use of chemical fertilizers. Timely crop management is the mantra for success in agriculture", he points out.

Last year he harvested around 43 tons of fresh rhizomes from 2.75 acres of land, out of which 33 tons were supplied as fresh rhizomes to farmers across the State.

According to Azad, this year the yield is a little less because of overgrowth due to continuous rains in the area. Yet he managed to a get whopping income of Rs. 12 lakh from less than three acres of land.

"Last year my total expenses were around rupees two lakh, including the cost of seed rhizomes, planting and harvesting etc. I was able to sell my produce for around Rs. 14 lakh" a beaming Chandra Sekhar Azad admits.

His saga of success has been a source of inspiration for many. Now Azad is like a brand ambassador for the Prathibha turmeric in the State. Azad has been able to convert many farmers to Prathibha cultivation. Many take his advice and guidance for cultivating turmeric. For him it is like an achievement of a lifetime.