KALPETTA: A police officer from Wayanad is on the hunt – for exotic fruit varieties. Saji K V, a resident of Neervaram, near Pulpally, in Wayanad, has been planting and harvesting rare species from different parts of the world in his farm.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Mananthavady station, 50-year-old Saji has planted around 100 exotic varieties, including jaboticaba, a Brazilian grape; the extremely rare lipote; Africa’s own miracle fruit mamey sapota; keppel, also known as perfume fruit; Australia’s macadamia, among many others.

He began as a kitchen gardener. “My first plants came up in my kitchen garden. The good yield that I was able to generate from a few trees further piqued my interest and I started planting more exotic varieties. After studying climatic and soil conditions, I realised that Wayanad is similar in many ways to South America. This gave me the courage to experiment with varieties from Brazil and other South American countries,” he said.

Saji started exotic fruit farming in 2017. “Many people ask me how I balance farming with my official responsibilities. I tell them that it’s all about managing time. When on special duty, I make sure to buy new varieties I find on my travels. My family is my biggest support. My father, Varghese K V, is also a farmer, and he looks after the trees when I’m travelling. He does not know the names or varieties, but his passion for farming is what makes him care for the trees even in his 70s,” he said.

“The rarest varieties in my farm are lipot and Australian macadamia. These belong to the endangered category and are rarely cultivated. I don’t use any chemical fertilisers. My farming is completely organic. That’s what makes my fruits natural and tasty,” says a proud Saji.

“I’ve been a police officer for 24 years. Farming is in a way my stress buster. People who are profit-oriented find it difficult to enjoy farming. A tree may take 7-8 years to yield fruit. People do not have that kind of patience. But my philosophy is different. I’m planting these trees for the next generation. It wouldn’t matter if I’m not able to taste the fruit of my labour. It’s all for my children,” adds Saji.

“Once you start farming, you will be amazed by the varieties of fruit trees in the world. I realised this when I came across Pakistani mulberry, Indonesian white papaya, South African matoa, and various varieties of dragon fruit. My department is also very supportive of my farming activity. I’ve inspired other officers to start planting fruit trees on their land,” he said.