From A Farmer To An Entrepreneur An Organic Ascent

Chowdhary has expanded his business and forayed into organic foods, producing amla juice, amla powder, aloe vera juice, candies, squashes, pickles, sweets. Besides selling in the domestic markets, he is also exporting to countries like USA, UK, UAE and Japan under the brand name of KS BIO FOODS. But prior to the start of organics food business, Chowdhary had many challenges to face. As he grew amla on his own fields, he wanted to sell the products. But there are no buyers for his products. The produce remained at home. Then he thought of making pickles out of the amla. He would come to the Udyog Bhawan and try to sell in from of it. Even then it didn’t bring him any success. After a few days, the pickled would also get damaged.

Kailash Chowdhary doesn’t have an MBA degree. He was neither a rich man nor a connected person. But Chowdhary is a farmer with a difference. His website says he is a marketing guru. But after meeting him personally, one can realize that he has several defining qualities other than being a marketing guru. It is his creative part of his character that helped him find opportunities in organic food.

A recipient of several awards like Rashtriya Krishi Samman from former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Udyan Ratan award by Indian Council Research at Puspa (Bihar), Best Farmer Award etc, Chowdhary today attributes his success to finding opportunities and pursuing them with dedication.

Farming was not such a big pull for him till he was running a crusher business in the Alwar district. But the Supreme Court ban on mining in Alwar brought his business to an abrupt end. The 20-acre land which he earlier thought was not enough to sustain him was again became his sole hope. He returned to farming, but this time he had a different outlook.

“When I learnt that wheat is sold at double the price in the Jaipur, I went there to see by myself. I was selling to the commission agents earlier. On visiting the shop, I saw that it was the same wheat. The only difference was that the wheat was graded and packaged. That motivated me to follow the practice and later, instead of selling wheat to the middleman, I did the processing. That was the beginning,” said Chowdhary in an interview to the Business Rankers.

Today, Chowdhary has expanded his business and forayed into organic foods, producing amla juice, amla powder, aloe vera juice, candies, squashes, pickles, sweets. Besides selling in the domestic markets, he is also exporting to countries like USA, UK, UAE and Japan under the brand name of KS BIO FOODS.

But prior to the start of organics food business, Chowdhary had many challenges to face. As he grew amla on his own fields, he wanted to sell the products. But there are no buyers for his products. The produce remained at home. Then he thought of making pickles out of the amla. He would come to the Udyog Bhawan and try to sell in from of it. Even then it didn’t bring him any success. After a few days, the pickled would also get damaged.

Then he learnt that in some Uttar Pradesh villages people make amla pickles that can be preserved for a longer period. He himself went there to learn the methods. After understanding the processes, he also brought a man who knew the whole process.

Later, he also came in contact with the Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana. Besides, he also took consultancy for processing technologies of various food products. This helped him to produce international quality products. At present, he is not only earning more, but has given direct and indirect employment opportunities to almost 70 people.

For his innovative agriculture practices, he also received Kisan Vaijyanik degree from the then Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. With Chowdhary creating

a success story himself, he has now turned attention to the welfare of the community in his district. He formed a Jaivic Krishi Utpad Mahila Sahkari Samiti in Kiratpura for women empowerment.

His passion for organic is growing by the day. He says pesticides have the potential to harm soil, water and local terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Organic agriculture covers all kinds of foods and fibre production systems and can be defined as essentially a chemical-free farming system to produce uncontaminated farm produce of high nutritional quality in sufficient quantities. It aims to further create an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable system of food and fibre production.

That’s why he is championing the cause of organic agriculture and has created a platform bringing together 1500 farmers who are now actively engaged in organic farming and food processing. ‘Not only in my village, but all villages in Tehsil Kotputli have stopped flood irrigation. Drip irrigation is used in orchards and sprinklers for other crops. Besides, we harvest rainwater to ensure maximum availability of water,’ says Chowdhary.