Think of Tom, who was suffering from incessant cough for the past few months, or Dick, who had sleepless nights owing to his skin rash, or little Harry, who couldn’t breathe properly after consuming the grapes available in the market. We come across patients with such complaints in every clinic around. Because of these illnesses, ailments and allergies, people are becoming more and more aware about using organic products. Naturally, even farmers are thinking of turning to organic farming. But owing to a dearth of good quality organic fertilisers and pesticides in the market, farmers are forced to use chemical products to salvage their crop. Rajendra Kandelkar from Bodvad in Jalgaon district, who turned to farming 25 years ago after realising the importance of organic farming, also had the same experience. The chemical-free pesticides and herbicides that he purchased from the market were of inferior quality, and also impacted the crop and harvest. As a solution to this, he decided to manufacture organic products which would help crops. He obtained formal training in Nainital and Punjab. Then, he established a company by the name Jai Bhole Neem Shakti Agro, and manufactured organic products useful for farming.
Developed oil, extract and powder from berry of the neem tree; procures 100 tonne berries annually
He manufactured oil, extract and powder from berries of the neem trees in his neighbourhood. He also manufactures Vermicompost as well as compost from waste and dried leaves and twigs in the farms. During one season in a year, i.e. around May-June, he procures 100 tonne berries of the neem tree from the farmers in surrounding areas and from the Khamgaon market. These berries are stored. As there’s no concern of the berries rotting, it can be procured on a large scale without the fear of it going waste. The older the berries, the better they dry. Upon drying, the weight of the berries reduces. But it is compensated with the good price that they get in the market.
Set up a plant with an investment of 4-5 lakhs
To manufacture products from berries of the neem tree, Rajendra invested approx. Rs.5 lakh and set up a plant over one acre of land. He purchased a crushing machine, other machines and tanks. He has 7-8 permanent employees. Extract is made from the berries by soaking them in a 200 litre tank for 21 days, and introducing anti-fungicides and other useful bacteria. The proportion of these berries in the products available in the market is only 5%, as opposed to 35% in the products manufactured by Rajendra. The ready-to-sell extract costs Rs.80/litre, and is available in plastic cans of 5, 35 and 50 litres. They also provide home delivery. Neem extract and oil are sprayed on crops through drip irrigation.
Connected with 1.5-2 lakh farmers in the Nashik-Akola and Buldhana-MP belts
Based on demand, powder is made from completely dried berries. If powder is made in advance, it loses its smell and also affects the quality. This powder is sold at a rate of Rs.1400/40 kg. It is mixed with fertilisers before use. Two bags of this powder are required for one acre of land if fruits are being cultivated on it. For cotton, even 10-20 kg of powder is sufficient for one acre land. The speciality of these neem products is that only the insects and pests infesting the plants die, without causing any harm to heterotrophic bacteria. This preserves the environmental conditions. On the contrary, chemical fertilisers kill honeybees and other necessary bacteria. As farmers increasingly understand the importance of this, almost 1.5-2 lakh farmers in the Nashik-Akola and Buldhana-MP belt are associated with him. Neem berry powder is extremely beneficial for bananas in Khamgaon, grapes in Nashik, oranges in Nagpur and mangoes, turmeric, etc.
Companies in the surrounding regions praised and approved the products, and encouraged to sell with the help of outside companies
It is a challenging task to come up with a product, which can be a good competition to the pre-existing brands in the market, also while pursuing farming. However, Rajendra has accomplished this successfully. He says, “We first sold the product in our area itself, for which the response wasn’t great. What was however noteworthy was the fact that some companies in our area told us that our product was good, and that we should take help from outside companies and sell it. We started working accordingly. Whenever we travel to other places, we stick our pamphlets there, through which we invariably receive orders. We also participate in agri-exhibitions. Ever since we started working 10 years ago, we have been getting increasing response. The government of Maharashtra has awarded us with the Krishi Puraskar for our work.”
People are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of organic products. As the need for these products is lasting, they will never cease to be in demand in future. With this in mind, we can look at Rajendra as an example of someone who has used the knowledge from traditional methods to manufacture modern products.
If you wish to start a new business or expand your existing one, and require advice, you can benefit from the consultation service by deAsra Foundation.
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