In the era of youngsters exploring modern-day career options, there are a few youths who are striving to modernize agriculture – one of the oldest industries – and shape it as a bankable career option. Rohit Chavan of Pune, Maharashtra, is one such sparse example.
Rohit hails from a financially humble family. His father did agricultural activities only to earn a livelihood and sustain. Agriculture could never have been a lucrative career option for Rohit considering the low income of his father, yet, he studied difficulties out of curiosity. Rohit soon realized that agriculture has a very sound business prospect after the removal of agents from the supply chain. After the initial research, Rohit was firm that he is going to change the fate of his family using the same family-owned farmland.
‘‘I remember the hard times when we didn’t have the money to pay our school fees. The conditions in my house forced me to learn the financial gap that hampered our lifestyle.” Said Rohit in a candid chat with Kenfolios.
Despite financial struggles, Rohit somehow completed his Masters in Agriculture from Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Rohit was desperate to earn good money from ancestral farmland and change the living standards of his family. The geographic region of his land fosters the cultivation of grapes and pomegranate, but, farmers did not make enough money due to obsolete techniques and agents in the chain, Rohit worked on both areas. He started researching on modern methods in the cultivation of local fruits. Research on scientific methods helped Rohit smartly skip the losses due to climatic conditions.
Going further, he joined an export firm as an unpaid employee to fetch a better understanding of the fruit export industry. Exporting is a financially lucrative business model, but farmers did not export directly due to a lack of knowledge.
Rohit is also using his knowledge to educate other farmers. During the COVID -19 crisis, Rohit has helped many farmers to turn their Grapes in Raisins and avoid losses due to unsold inventory. The benefitted farmers are happy to have discovered the true potential of their business.
“I believe the major reason for a large number of farmers committing suicide is because unfortunately, they don’t have enough knowledge of farming in the RIGHT way. I try to educate as many as I can and help them build a better future.” – Rohit Told KenFolios.
Today, Rohit has expanded Laxmi farms from his ancestral 15 acres of land to an 80 acres of estate. His farm has the cultivation of 100k plants of Grapes and Pomegranate. He has taken arduous efforts to ensure the quality of his produce. Elevated quality ensures large export orders as the minimum quality standards for exports are really high. His Grapes are grown with Zero Residues Model, thus, refine the quality of produce. Additionally, the size of every single Grape is checked before packing them for exports. Quality orientation has helped Rohit build a network of happy consumers without having mediators. Most of the clients Rohit earned are from wealthy nations like the US, UK, and Australia.
India boasts an agrarian economy, yet, agriculture is one of the most backward industries in India according to the international standards. In the past decades, especially after India’s economy was opened for foreign companies in the ‘1990s, youngsters have been keeping away from agriculture. But, in recent times, we have observed a few youths experimenting with the agro sector. The significance of the agro sector has suddenly increased due to the COVID-19 crisis. In the testing times, individuals like Rohit are more than an entrepreneurial journey which can inspire youth to take up agriculture as a career option and to reshape India’s economy post Covid-19.
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