Visionary entrepreneur awarded PhD for innovations in farm tech

Mangaluru: An entrepreneur from Dakshina Kannada district has been awarded the first PhD of its kind in on-field farm tech innovations. Ramakrishna Achar, the CEO of Sri Kalikamba Fabricators (SKF) has been awarded with a PhD from Mangalore University for his innovations in farm technology.

The PhD was awarded to him on Wednesday in Mangalore University's 41st convocation programme by the Governor of Karnataka Thavarchand Gehlot. The innovations of Ramakrishna Achar in developing eco-friendly and cost-effective grain processing unit has received recognition from his clients within the nation and beyond.

G Ramakrishna Achar was born in a financially backward family from Gangolli in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district. He quickly took up work at a fabrication workshop to support his family. He even dropped out of the school early in his childhood to learn more about fabrication.

He then upgraded his technical knowledge by working as a trainee in the Central Food Technology and Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru.Back in 1987, Ramakrishna Achar started his venture from a rented shed with a capital of only Rs. 25,000. Today, he owns a fabrication company that is making waves in the field of agriculture, water management, sewage treatment. Achar's line of products began in 1990 with paddy processing units which he quickly upgraded into a modern range of machinery. The upgraded units had inbuilt dryers that played a major role in controlling the moisture and retaining the quality of rice for a long time.

This one-of-a-kind innovation soon became renowned across many paddy growing countries around the world. Such countries have subscribed to his idea and started using his machinery. The excess water retention of rice grains led to loss of 35% of paddy cultivated in India in the year 2002. As a result of this innovation, the wastage of cured rice was reduced and the country gained Rs. 100 crore every season by reducing wastage of rice due to moisture retention. Apart from these innovations, Ramakrishna Achar has made innovations in providing safe drinking water to the people. His 'SKF Elixer' brand of water purifier is now a standard equipment for water dispensing in public places all over the country as well as the neighbouring countries.

Achar has also been empowering the youth of Dakshina Kannada with his SKF Industrial Training Institute (ITI) which has trained more than 3,000 skilled youth who have now populated the industrial set-up in various countries. A Go Dhama (cow shelter) was established by him as an initiative towards making the farmers self-sufficient. The Go Dhama is set up on a 35-acre land in Muniyal village of Karkala taluk.