From an engineering job in India to brinjal farming in Japan: An Indian doubles his income!

While the age-old adage of 'work hard to get paid well' worked well for the IT sector in the past, the swells in the economy do not let the people in the sector enjoy the fruits of their labour.

27 year old Vignesh made an absolute killing of it when he decided to quit his lucrative job at Infosys, to move to Japan and learn the art of Brinjal farming. Vignesh comes from a farming family in Tamil Nadu, and a job at infosys promised a bright future. But, this satisfaction was short-lived as Vignesh soon chose to quit his job and move to Japan to pursue farming.

But his toil and labour was not in vain as he soon started earning more than double of what he used to make in India.

Vignesh, in an interview, stated how he was able to make his dream come true. During the lockdown, most of us pursued what we really wanted to do- some played music, some sang songs, but Vignesh chose to learn the art of farming. During the lockdowns, Vignesh started working on his family farms, and as he stated, he soon realised his ‘true calling’.

But Vignesh's family was against his ‘true calling’, as they wanted him to continue getting a steady income at his job. His hopes were rekindled when he heard how he could do what he wanted to do. Vignesh explained he heard about an institute that trains people in Japanese language and culture before finding any jobs in the country from a friend.

Nihon Edutech is a Chennai based institute that offers Japanese language courses- that includes language, training, culture, etiquette and technical training so that they get placed in Japan. Japan is rich in industrialisation, but due to its ageing population, and aversion of youth towards farming, has created a space for individuals like Vignesh to flourish.

Vignesh trained extensively for six months before he was allowed to travel to Japan as an agricultural labourer at a Brinjal farm in the Kochi region.

Vignesh also stated that now he earns double the salary that he made in India- he used to earn Rs. 40000 per month in India, whereas in Japan, he made Rs. 80000 per month. Moreover, he does not pay his living expenses as it is sponsored by the company, so Vignesh lives in company quarters.

“There is a lot to learn here”- Vignesh said as he explained his work in Japan. He explains that he is responsible for the crop growth, and once they are mature, he assists in harvesting, cleaning and processing the crops.

Vignesh aims to introduce and establish innovative farming practices in India as he plans to use his knowledge gained from Japan.

Nihon Edutech’s CEO, Krishnan Narayanan commented on Vignesh’s journey and said that Vignesh not only worked hard to move to Japan, but also helped a few others to achieve this goal. He had been a leader to the people who wanted to move abroad.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director Sougata Roy Choudhary said that he agrees with Vignesh and stated that it is a “once-in-a lifetime” opportunity for him to experience and learn unique farming practices abroad. He can then return to India to teach others about improved farming practices.

Roy further said that Japan lacks the necessary land for farming and therefore, practises intensive farming with cutting edge technology and equipment. He added that their per acre yield is three times more than what is produced in india. Therefore, Vignesh’s experience and knowledge will help the farming community in India to increase their productivity per acre.