Cable operator turns stress relief into tuber cultivation success | Mangaluru News

Mangaluru: A Guinness World Record-holding cable operator from Ranny, in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, captivated the crowd at the two-day ‘Kanda Moola’ interstate exhibition. The event that began on Friday, showcased a variety of tubers, turnips, and leafy vegetables at Sanghaniketan. Even as the public thronged the venue, many were curious with his impressive display of tubers, ginger, and turmeric.
Reji Joseph‘s accolades include a Guinness World Record in 2022 for cultivating a taro leaf measuring 114.2 cm in length and 96 cm in width. He is also listed in the Limca Book of Records for several feats, including a 95-inch-tall Gajendra variety elephant foot yam, a 2.1-metre-tall taro, and a unique 72.4 cm-long okra pod. Among his other achievements are harvesting a 5 kg Dioscorea esculenta from a single plant and yielding 18.4 kg of turmeric from a single plant.
Reji said that he began cultivating tubers 24 years ago, as a stress-relieving activity alongside his demanding cable operator job. Out of his four-acre farm, 1.5 acres are dedicated to tuber cultivation. “When people see large tubers, it generates enthusiasm and fosters conservation efforts,” he said.
Reji cultivates around 250 varieties of tubers, all meticulously tagged and documented. His collection includes 100 Dioscorea varieties, some with purple hues. An experiment was also conducted by a PhD scholar on using them as a colouring agent for bakery products, he said. He has also distributed 3,000 stem cuttings of a local tuber variety that can be stored for a year when sun-dried. Most of his collection comes from fellow farmers, including Shaji NM, known as Kerala’s ‘Tuber Man’, as well as ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra and ICAR-CTCRI.
Planting occurs from March to April, with harvesting between Dec and Jan. His farm is entirely organic, using cow dung, neem cake, and groundnut cake as manure. He has even cultivated a short-duration turmeric variety released by the govt.