VENKATESH GOPALA RAO

Mobile:+919*********(whatsapp)

E: addm4c@r.postjobfree.com

LinkedIn : LinkedIn: ug.linkedin.com/in/venkatesh01

Senior Professional with 23 Yrs Exp in Floriculture, Horticulture,Agriculture in India and Africa

SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIENCE

Extensive experience in planning, implementing operational &commercial strategies, administration, processing and marketing

Vast experience in production of roses under cover in soil and hydroponics, propagation, land preparation, GH erection and maintenance, insect and disease control, irrigation and fertigation systems, post harvest processing and export of flowers

Established production systems and norms with more thrust on environmental protection

Developed IPM (biological control) section with own predatory mites (Phytoseillus) rearing catering the entire needs in 30 hectares, thus saving cost on chemicals and improving quality

Produced roses meeting international standards which and were sold on premium in Dutch auction

Won prizes at international flower trade show at Aalsmeer, Holland every year for excellent quality rose production

An out-of-the-box thinker with a proven track record of increasing production, streamlining workflow and creating a team work environment to enhance profitability innovatively for the organization

Consistently rated as Excellent performer by major corporate worked for

KEY SKILLS

Strategic Planning Horticulture Floriculture

Production Increase Marketing Communication Revenue Generation

Export People Management Vendor Management

Innovative Approach Cost Control Compliance

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE :

Mahasil Agriculture company, Saudi Arabia

Agriculture specialist

July 2019 to present

●Planning and initiating commercial high tech Hydroponics project of 12ha for growing high value vegetables like tomatoes, capsicum,chillies,cucumbers,Brinjal,lettuce etc.,

●Responsible for complete planning for year round crop production based on market demand

●Construction of nursery to raise 400 thousand seedlings to transplant in hydroponics growing

●Involved in various growing techniques and designed tools to aid in maximising produce yield

●Specialised in creating improved micro climate,irrigation and fertilization as per crop requirements

●Integrated pest and disease management programs implemented alongside hygiene and sanitation to manage virus incidence in crops

●Involved in designing tools and optimisation of labour management to suit the needs

●Worked on yield estimates and budgets to assist in finances and marketing

●Several cost controls adopted in purchase of chemical, fertilisers,tools and equipments,selection of varieties,analysis of various parameters,spray programs and usage of RO water

●Instrumental in statergising and obtaining ISO 21000 and HAACCP certificates to farm

●Working on to obtain GLOBAL GAP and SAUDI GAP cerificates

Mahee Flowers Ltd, Kenya FarmManager Mar 2017 to Mar 2019

Responsible for all the planning, activities and operations from growing up to marketing of green house grown big headed tea hybr roses and oriental lilies.

Maintained consistent productivity, quality and reliability for the market and achieved targets as per budget.

Adhered to the stringent standards of the European/Australian Markets as FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED grower and exporter.

Ensured 100% of the product sold directly & made the business economically viable.

Maintained good relations with stakeholders & workers unions by conducting awareness meetings, trainings & managed welfare projects like canteen, creche for employees as Fair trade officer and management advisor.

Indo American Hybrid Seeds India Pvt Ltd, Bangalore Deputy General Manager March 2016-Feb2017

Heading the ornamental division, dealing with all agronomic aspects of indoor plants cultivation, seasonals, pernnials, cacti & succulents, vertical gardens, mounted plants, tissue culture hardening, propagation and growing of all landscape plants and complete administration of the farm.

Maintaining huge nursery activity in 30 acres with 70 skilled work force, growing in green houses & shade houses, vendor management, customer relations, marketing & heading sales team in 5 branch outlets & logistics, supplying to all nurseries in India and overseas.

Budgeting & setting sales targets, executing new proposal, adapting innovative techniques, cost control, COGS computation, surveying landscape projects for advising on budget/ proposals & executions, responsible for good turnover & profitability.

Recruiting &motivating team to achieve set goals, identifying &incentivizing performers, decision making, product development, arranging exhibitions, promotions & floral arrangements.

Mairye Estates Ltd, Uganda General Manager Aug 2013- Aug2015

Responsibilities:

Responsible for all the operations & activities of42 ha farm .Out of this Roses are grown under cover in 30 ha & fresh herbs are grown in 12 ha for exports

Achieved 60 million stems in 2014 &2015, successfully implemented herbs export project with different systems of growing, fertigation & pack house, marketing. Many Asian vegetables like chillies, Habaneros, Bitter gourd, Okra etc. were exported.

Ensured the certification of Fair trade, MPS ABC, GAP, SQ& ETI,ISO 2007, Global GAP are in place for effective marketing of our products overseas

Karuturi Flowers Ltd Deputy General Manager Aug 2009-Sep 2012

Responsibilities:

Improved &stabilized production& achieved an average export of 300 million stems in the past 3 years.

Successfully implemented indigenously fabricated boilers for heating propagation (4000sq.m) chambers thereby saving Ksh 500,000/pm on fuel.

Converted growing area into propagation in 0.7 ha with innovative ideas & techniques without compromising on climate control with an expense of ksh 8 million against the external quote of ksh50 million

100%Top grafting was implemented instead of cuttings & patch buddings which was giving poor results

Developed & implemented sustainable environment friendly biological Vermi leachate project to supplement fertigation in 70 ha

Instrumental in starting composting process using EM technology(Japan) & effective utilization of 30 tons/day green waste back to growing area

Achieved 15-20% of cost reduction in fertilizer consumption due to vermin leachate plus compost utilization in addition to improvement of soil life & fertility

Imported,Standardized & developed technique for using hard uprooted plants for producing electricity 500 kwh/day saving ksh300,000/pm-on electricity

Introduction of IPM in 10 ha & later started own phyto rearing in 2 ha( in progress) area to cover the entire farm

Initiated Karuturi Green Planet program with others as a part of CSR to donate plants to social & charitable institutions

Initiation of BIOGAS PROJECT of 2600 cu.m to generate electricity from bio waste & night soil which is in progress .About 25-30% of our electrical needS could be fulfilled when implemented.

Executed hydroponics growing in 6 ha to avoid agro bacteria & nematode infested soils & is continued

Part of a team to prepare farm for Fair Trade audit & certification which is in finishing touches.

Handled & managed the imports of fertilizers, chemicals, polythene, machines, farm tools & other equipments procurement

Part of High level decision & policy making body for smooth functioning of the company at all stages.

Very keen in constant researching for improvement of flower quality & productivity,cost effective & sustainability which has yielded great results

Working with big CSR in Africa having huge infrastructure in terms of Hospital, schools, housing for workers with amenities, football team & stadium

Windsor Flowers Ltd, Kenya Farm manager Dec 2004-June 2009

Responsibilities:

Responsible for monitoring surveying, cut & fill, levelling, GH& Irrigation installation in collaboration with Amiran,land preparation& planting in the expansion area of about 5 ha.

Responsible for planning day today activities& operations in all the areas of administration, maintenance, production, plant protection, fertigation &post harvest until export.

Planning & prioritizing the issues to handle them in a most befitted manner.

Conducting regular visits in the entire growing & processing areas more often to ensure the necessary instructions are being followed properly.

To discuss the market quality comments with the concerned supervisors & applying necessary corrections to enhance the quality of the product.

To check closely the arrival of flowers in pre-cooling, grading & bunching, pest affected rejections, main storage, packing& export.

Analyzing market prices & quality of auction & direct markets to make further decisions in marketing produce.

Regular monitoring the sanitization & fumigation of processing areas & random checking of graded flowers before storing in main cold room.

Preparation of monthly requirements & negotiate prices of consumables like chemicals, fertilizers, packaging materials etc., with the suppliers for final ordering.

Preparation of annual budget reports for the entire farm in all disciplines for further planning.

Preparation of production & quality targets as per the varieties & seasons for discussion & implementation.

Regular monitoring & reviewing of the achieved targets variety wise by conducting meetings & motivating the staff to obtain set goals

Conducting demonstrations & workshops in the field &post harvest to train the workers on cut stage, cut points, bending, grading, packing & other important issues.

Periodical checking of records on harvest, rejection & drawing policies for systematic working.

Timing of the crops like reds, yellows &varieties for important occasions & for removal of unproductive by setting clear cut points.

Making decisions on cultivation practices such as pinching, humidifying, curtain control, trimming etc., to improve upon quality.

Assessment of varietal performance based on cost benefit ratio to take vital decisions on uprooting & selection of new variety.

Conducting of commercial varietal trials for various breeders for its performance & collecting market information for selection & growing.

Conducting various trials on growing techniques using own ideas & innovative methods to maximize crop yields.

Exploitation & extensive use of biological (IPM techniques) to combat pests & to aid biological fertigation.

Developing & adapting cost controlling techniques & its effective implementation to realize maximum profits on farm.

Regular planning of spray programme based on scout reports, senior reports & my own observations as per priorities & market quality reports.

Adapting improved cultivation practices in addition to sprays in controlling pests.

Complete knowledge on resistance management of pests & rotation of chemicals for their effective utilization.

Complying all standards as required by stakeholders in the industry like KFC, NEMA, PCPB, occupational health & safety by necessitating regular audits & report submission.

Internal analysis of soil & water samples & comparing with external results to study nutrition regime & developing standard fertigationprogramme suitable to our varieties from time to time.

Periodical observation & application of additional fertilizers & foliar as required by the crop variety to overcome any deficiency or toxicity.

Minimizing costs on chemicals & fertilizers through new products & with keen eyes on seasons, crop stand & quality.

Preparation & checking of weekly& monthly reports on consumables or inputs to regulate costs per stem.

Liaising with breeders, suppliers of chemicals, fertilizers & other inputs to analyze risks &benefits of their products & maximizing capabilities by improved services.

Regular monitoring of flower stocks in cold rooms, exports, unpacking & financial statements from unpackers &auction, box weight & temperatures.

Regular correspondence with cargo &unpackers on shipments, freight charges & cold chain management.

Interaction with direct buyers, quoting availability & prices for arranging exports.

Checking of monthly payrolls, casual payments, annual leaves & authorization.

Arrangement of PPEs, concerns for social responsibilities of workers, health & safety aspects & management of farm clinic.

Maintenance & servicing of all farm machines, tools &equipments within due dates.

Responsible for IPM & IFM practices& overall farm activities & administration of 330 workers & staff

Enkasiti Flower Growers Ltd, Kenya Production Manager Oct 2002-Dec 2004

Responsibilities:

Production planning, implementation and scheduling day-to-day operations to produce quality roses to meet market demands.

Actively involved in taking decisions for the overall farm development along with the GM

Officially reported to General Manager.

Completely responsible for the production, development and maintenance of the project.

Preparation of production estimates, targets for the whole year.

Designing of predatory mites (phytoseillussps) rearing facility and its production to meet the requirements.

Allotment of the daily operations to the senior supervisors in production and extraction of work with precision.

Actively involved in IPM, IRM and IFM programs.

Developed and standardized many IPM practices to combat pest and diseases.

Instrumental in developing cost saving techniques and methodologies.

Active in selection of varieties and handled trials and commercial trials.

Responsible for effective insect and disease control.

Interaction with breeders, growers and chemical suppliers.

Implementation of new technology by consulting the experts from Holland and Israel.

Responsible for insect and disease diagnosis in fields and laboratories.

Responsible for periodic coco peat and water sampling to monitor desirable PH and EC for better growth and quality.

Responsible for all cultivation practices growth and structure development of rose bushes, bending, pruning and rejuvenation of old bushes, hygienic practices.

Maintenance and adjustment of microclimatic conditions like temperature, humidity, ventilation, and light to maximize yields and productivity.

Man-management leading a team of more than 300 workers including skilled and unskilled everyday.

Day to day assessment of works in different sections like fertilization, spraying, maintenance.

Experience in post harvest handling of flowers, pre-cooling, cooling, grading, packing techniques for exports.

Well versed in propagation of roses (top grafts), nursery practices and hardening of grafts.

Additional knowledge in general maintenance of the structures and administrative aspects of the farm.

Indo American Hybrid Seeds India Pvt Ltd, Bangalore Assistant Production Manager 1998-2002

Responsibilities

Thorough experience in hybrid & OP seed production of solanaceous, cucurbitaceous & other important crops both under GH & open conditions for export.

Very good technical skills in raising nursery, ornamental plants growing,potting & repotting,fertilizer & spray schedules to produce quality plants as per the standards in Green house as well as under shadenet.

Grown different varieties of chrysanthemum pot mums, spray & standard types.Carnation, lisianthus, poinsettias and many other ornamental pot plants grown in largescale to supply to Garden center & exhibitions

Worked in Tissue culture hardening Green house( Banana & ornamentals), orders handling & extension activities handled successfully in farmers field.

Familiar with soil type, soil ameoleoration, irrigation methods, fertigation, cultural practices, green manuring& weed management programs for specific crops.

Experienced in nursery rising of transplants for production of vegetables & flowers.

Well experienced with plant protection measures against insect pests & diseases& using IPM concepts, inter cropping& crop rotation techniques, usage of growth regulators to maximize yields.

Responsible for soil analysis, media sterilization, experimentation to test new products & standardization, devising cost saving measures& adoption of innovative techniques in production.

Involved in site selection for hybrid/OP seed production, knowledge of isolation, rouging operation, maintenance of field purity & genetic purity of the crop

Good knowledge of Quality Assuarance aspects such as germination %, physical purity of seed, moisture content and GOT analysis for genetic purity.

Responsible for overall management in individual farm production in commercial scale.

Pristine Blooms Ltd, Bangalore Production Manager 1996-1998

Responsibilities:

Responsible for production of quality roses and other related activities.

Standardized the practices for rapid multiplication of rose bushes in the field by in-situ budding.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

M.Sc.Horticulture from Agriculture University, Bangalore with 88%

B.Sc.Horticulture from Agriculture University,Bangalore with 74%

10+2 from Vijaya College, Bangalore with 72%

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Venkatesh Gopala Rao

Date of Birth: 22.11.1972

Languages Known: English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, ki-Swahili

Passport: Z4911338, Valid Till April 2028

Present Address: RRNagar, Bangalore- INDIA

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