This class 10 fail from Siddipet is go to man for farm implements

Gaddam Balaraj, 40, the son of a small farmer, has become popular by designing agriculture equipment in his own way

Siddipet: A man from Narayanraopet village, who failed in Class 10, is now a sought after person for farmers looking for innovative farm implements.

Meet Gaddam Balaraj, 40, the son of a small farmer, who has become popular by designing agriculture equipment in his own way. An example of his work is what he did for his friend, who wanted a mulch-laying machine that would cost Rs 60,000 in the market. Since the friend could not afford that, Balaraj procured the required parts from different markets in Siddipet and Ranigunj in Hyderabad and made the machine on his own, with the total cost being less than Rs 30,000.

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Balaraj had developed a keen interest in mechanical and electrical innovations when he was in Class 7 in a government school in Siddipet, when a teacher used to teach them about radio, clocks, cycles, and other repair work as part of vocational training. When he failed to clear Class 10, Balaraj was forced to work as a labourer to eke out a livelihood. While working as a loading worker at Rani Gunj, an engineering company hired him as daily labour. But after watching his abilities, they increased his daily wage from Rs 170 to Rs 350 back, after he gradually began supplying engineering parts and machines to different companies.

When his father could not afford to buy a pair of oxen to till their two acres of land 10 years ago, Balaraj attempted to make a weed remover with an abandoned TVS Champ engine. That was the beginning of his foray into agriculture implements. He later improvised on the weed remover using a Bajaj Chetak engine when the one made earlier proved inefficient.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Balaraj said that he had also made a fertiliser sprayer, monkey scaring gun and energy-based machine to keep birds, monkeys and wild boars away from fields, cultivators and several others. As they proved efficient, he was getting a number of orders from farmers. Balaraj has set up a workshop in Narayanraopet to manufacture and supply them to farmers. He also displayed his innovations during the Intinta Innovator Exhibition in 2022.

Narayanraopet Agriculture Extension Officer T Nagarjuna said Balaraj was much in demand because he could come up with innovations at quite affordable prices.