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Mr. Harihara Sudhan returned back to India after compeleting his MS in engineering. He took a strong decision to stay back as India is his home and establsihed tree breeding centre near Coimbatore and Kaivalya, Garden centre in Chennai. After doing umpteen researches and travelling across the country now his company successfully offers various services like integrated farming projects, tree planting, agro forestry, commercial retail nursery for plants and trees, and landscape and design implementation.
Perikali Trading Company
Perikali Trading Company was established in 2004 in Anna Nagar, Chennai. The company offers various services like integrated farming projects, tree planting, agro forestry, commercial retail nursery for plants and trees, and landscape and design implementation. The company has its own tree breeding centre near Coimbatore, and a garden centre, Kaivalya, in Anna Nagar, Chennai. “I also help people setup both agricultural and agro forestry farms,” says Mr. Sudhan. He claims to use organic farming, farming according to the phases of the moon cycle, and bio control agents in his projects.
Gardening Services
Perikali services all kinds of gardens - from 100 sq ft balcony to 50,000 sq ft resort. “We have more than 1000 varieties at Kaivalya. We offers all kinds of outdoor plants, indoor plants, exotic plants, aquatic plants, trees, shrubs, climbers, creepers, bonsai and lawns,” maintains Mr. Sudhan, adding, “We source from various growers located all over the country and we propagate about 20% of the plants we have.”
Landscaping, Rock Gardens and Roof Gardens
Speaking about the landscape, rock gardens and roof gardens developed by Kaivalya, Mr. Sudhan says, “I try and address each site on its own terms. There are some sites that need a water body, others a rock garden. I have created lush Bali style gardens, arid gardens, Japanese gardens, English gardens, aquatic ponds and falls. It all depends upon the site, budget and the likes/dislikes of the client. I enjoy building roof gardens as they can really transform a terrace into a magical place.”
Garden Maintenance
Suggesting ways to better care for gardens, Mr. Sudhan says, “Right from propagation to planting, including correct watering cycle, good quality of water, good fertilizer and correct time of application, use of bio control agents, use of rooting hormones, use of portrays for seeding and choosing the right plant based on the zone, amount of sunlight it receives and also the hardiness, give better results.”
Regarding challenges faced in maintenance of gardens, Mr. Sudhan says, “We face a lot of challenges, the most common being the lack to fresh and pure water. Almost all our sources are deep bore wells, which contains a lot of dissolved salts, iron, carbonates and chlorides. This kind of water must be softened and treated before it is used for delicate plants. The temp in India during the summers as everyone knows can get extremely hot so the time spent in transit should always be kept to minimum.”
Investment for Nursery
When asked about the investment required to set up a nursery, Mr. Sudhan avers, “It depends upon the area where you want to establish the nursery. If you live in a city the costs will be more as all supplies and rent costs will be more expensive. The sales will be more and the margin will also be higher. A minimum of Rs. 5 lakhs will be required. In a rural area you can do so for Rs. 2 lakh. If you want to setup only a tree nursery in a rural area you can do so with just Rs. 1 Lakh. You must continually reinvest into your business to ensure you have a good inventory and that all your services are provided at top quality.”
Challenges Faced
Speaking about the major challenges faced by the company, he says, “Customers are not aware of the costs that go into the production and propagation of plants. They equate them with some sort of finished product. They do not understand that plants are a highly perishable life form and that the maintenance of them involves regular inputs like water, fertilizer, and insecticide, which cost money and time. In a day when a liter of petrol costs Rs. 70, many folks bargain for plants that cost just Rs. 30. So I think this is the biggest challenge where the public must become more aware of what a plant really is. The second biggest problem is a shortage of quality labor.” Perikali has a core team of 15 people and takes on temporary labor depending upon the project requirements.
Mr. Sudhan is a B.Tech (IT) and a M.S from University of Southern California, in computer science. “I have done courses in TNAU (Coimbatore), IWST (Bangalore), and CUGE (Singapore) and have also been associated with various institutions and departments like the forest department of TN. My career highlight is when my mother joined me in my business 3 years ago,” he adds.
Feel free to leave your feedback on this article. Also, post questions and query related to the services offered at Perikali Trading Company. Mr Sudhan shall and editorial team of AgricultureInfomation.com will monitor and respond to your comments.
Perikali Trading Company
Perikali Trading Company was established in 2004 in Anna Nagar, Chennai. The company offers various services like integrated farming projects, tree planting, agro forestry, commercial retail nursery for plants and trees, and landscape and design implementation. The company has its own tree breeding centre near Coimbatore, and a garden centre, Kaivalya, in Anna Nagar, Chennai. “I also help people setup both agricultural and agro forestry farms,” says Mr. Sudhan. He claims to use organic farming, farming according to the phases of the moon cycle, and bio control agents in his projects.
Gardening Services
Perikali services all kinds of gardens - from 100 sq ft balcony to 50,000 sq ft resort. “We have more than 1000 varieties at Kaivalya. We offers all kinds of outdoor plants, indoor plants, exotic plants, aquatic plants, trees, shrubs, climbers, creepers, bonsai and lawns,” maintains Mr. Sudhan, adding, “We source from various growers located all over the country and we propagate about 20% of the plants we have.”
Landscaping, Rock Gardens and Roof Gardens
Speaking about the landscape, rock gardens and roof gardens developed by Kaivalya, Mr. Sudhan says, “I try and address each site on its own terms. There are some sites that need a water body, others a rock garden. I have created lush Bali style gardens, arid gardens, Japanese gardens, English gardens, aquatic ponds and falls. It all depends upon the site, budget and the likes/dislikes of the client. I enjoy building roof gardens as they can really transform a terrace into a magical place.”
Garden Maintenance
Suggesting ways to better care for gardens, Mr. Sudhan says, “Right from propagation to planting, including correct watering cycle, good quality of water, good fertilizer and correct time of application, use of bio control agents, use of rooting hormones, use of portrays for seeding and choosing the right plant based on the zone, amount of sunlight it receives and also the hardiness, give better results.”
Regarding challenges faced in maintenance of gardens, Mr. Sudhan says, “We face a lot of challenges, the most common being the lack to fresh and pure water. Almost all our sources are deep bore wells, which contains a lot of dissolved salts, iron, carbonates and chlorides. This kind of water must be softened and treated before it is used for delicate plants. The temp in India during the summers as everyone knows can get extremely hot so the time spent in transit should always be kept to minimum.”
Investment for Nursery
When asked about the investment required to set up a nursery, Mr. Sudhan avers, “It depends upon the area where you want to establish the nursery. If you live in a city the costs will be more as all supplies and rent costs will be more expensive. The sales will be more and the margin will also be higher. A minimum of Rs. 5 lakhs will be required. In a rural area you can do so for Rs. 2 lakh. If you want to setup only a tree nursery in a rural area you can do so with just Rs. 1 Lakh. You must continually reinvest into your business to ensure you have a good inventory and that all your services are provided at top quality.”
Challenges Faced
Speaking about the major challenges faced by the company, he says, “Customers are not aware of the costs that go into the production and propagation of plants. They equate them with some sort of finished product. They do not understand that plants are a highly perishable life form and that the maintenance of them involves regular inputs like water, fertilizer, and insecticide, which cost money and time. In a day when a liter of petrol costs Rs. 70, many folks bargain for plants that cost just Rs. 30. So I think this is the biggest challenge where the public must become more aware of what a plant really is. The second biggest problem is a shortage of quality labor.” Perikali has a core team of 15 people and takes on temporary labor depending upon the project requirements.
Mr. Sudhan is a B.Tech (IT) and a M.S from University of Southern California, in computer science. “I have done courses in TNAU (Coimbatore), IWST (Bangalore), and CUGE (Singapore) and have also been associated with various institutions and departments like the forest department of TN. My career highlight is when my mother joined me in my business 3 years ago,” he adds.
Feel free to leave your feedback on this article. Also, post questions and query related to the services offered at Perikali Trading Company. Mr Sudhan shall and editorial team of AgricultureInfomation.com will monitor and respond to your comments.
