In June 2020, Satinder Singh Rawat lost his Retail Operations Manager job in Dubai due to the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to Noida. Satinder, 46, had been working in the Gulf for 15 years and suddenly lost his job, he started thinking of starting something new.
He said, “I was handling around 200 stores there and managing a business worth Rs 2,500 crore. I could have applied for another job in the same field, but how long these risks and challenges would last during the pandemic, nobody knows.” So Satinder decided to pursue a career in a different field and turned to farming .
In an interaction with The Better India, he spoke about how he overcame the loss of income and became financially independent through his agriculture startup, Srihari Agrotech.
hard work got good results
Satinder discussed his planning with his father-in-law and friends and started working on it. As soon as the lockdown was relaxed around September, he went to Ramnagar village in Nainital, Uttarakhand and took 1.5 acres of land on lease. He says, “My father-in-law suggested that I take up gardening initially, as it would help in growing flowers every two months. However, it was not financially feasible, so my wife Sapna and I decided to try growing button mushrooms.”
In January, Satinder started growing mushrooms by setting up a concrete facility and two huts made of bamboo and plastic. Inside, they installed air-conditioners to maintain the optimum temperature. “In March and April, we harvested our first produce and earned Rs 6 lakh from it,” he says.
He had sold mushrooms to vegetable markets, wedding venues, banquet halls, restaurants and other customers in Ramnagar.
Satinder says that he got up to 50 percent profit from the produce. The couple said that the first six months were tough, but they made it all right.
No background related to farming, no training
He says, “We had no background in agriculture and neither did we take any formal training in growing mushrooms. We had hired a professional on a contract basis. Later on, we permanently hired a professional grower. Our core team works with them and is learning the basics of mushroom cultivation. However, now we have learned a lot and can independently make mushroom compost and grow them without outside help.”
His core team consists of 10 locals from the village, two of whom have reverse migrated from Delhi due to COVID-19.
Satinder said, “Mushrooms are grown through chemical free process. The temperature should be between 18 and 19 °C. So, we have installed air-conditioners.” He himself has invested in this business of his own.
Satinder says that many other challenges were faced due to erratic power supply and ground problems. He further added, “But after putting in our effort and risk, the result in returns is very pleasant. I am no longer stuck in the trap of a 9-5 job.” Today the couple earns Rs 2.5 lakh per month from their venture.
Creating a low cost model for farmers
Sapna, who handles the technical operations of the business, says that the infrastructure can produce 70 tonnes of mushroom. She says, “The process of building two more huts is underway in Bhatwaron village under Bironkhal block of Pauri district. Our target is to increase the production to 70 tonnes, which will cost Rs 40 lakh in the next six months.”
In addition to growing button mushrooms, the couple has also learned to grow the oyster variety, popular in the local market. Sapna says, “Recently, we started the process of growing seasonal vegetables organically. We want to explore more and more organic products. Because we think it will be helpful for humans as well as nature.
Satinder said, “I want to promote a low-cost model for farmers who grow traditional crops like cereals, wheat and sugarcane. The production of non-traditional agriculture in their area can prove to be economically beneficial for them.”
promoting the cottage model
Satinder says, “Our startup aims to take our model of growing mushrooms in huts to other farmers as well. The 20×50 feet hut is spread over an area of about 1,000 square feet. The infrastructure cost with air-conditioner is Rs 1.5 lakh and can last up to six years.
The cost we invest in this comes out in the first cycle of the crop and the rest of the production comes in the form of profit. Mushrooms grow throughout the year due to air conditioning.
He adds, “We want to help farmers think a little differently from traditional farming. If a farmer can identify a market and a good location, he can earn more money from even a small piece of land and will not need to depend on large crops.”
Original article- Himanshu Nitnaware
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: Where it was difficult to increase income from agriculture, today we are earning 50 lakhs annually from eco-tourism
