Couple finds super success with vermicompost; clocks Rs 6 lakh monthly turnover

When Gutha Jyothi Venkat Reddy married in 2000, her husband had a borewell installation business. However, the returns were not good, and Jyothi decided to start a sari business in her Gundrepalle village in Nalgonda district of Telangana. While she was running it successfully, her husband, Venkat Reddy shifted to dairy farming and then started a cement shop. 

However, nothing worked well and the family constantly faced financial challenges. “Tired of losses, my husband visited nearby villages and saw some farmers preparing vermicompost. He began asking people about manufacturing it and discussed the idea with me,” Jyothi tells 30Stades.

Seeing the rising requirement for vermicompost among farmers shifting to organic farming, the couple decided to try making it. 

“In 2013, we bought 50 kg of earthworms at Rs500 per kg from a friend. They were of the Eisenia foetida variety, which is good for composting in Indian weather and gives high produce,” says Venkat.

Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer made when earthworms decompose organic waste.

The global vermicompost market is expected to grow at 6.1 percent between 2021 and 2028 to reach two billion dollars by 2028, as per Data Bridge Market Research.

India is currently the world’s largest exporter of vermicompost followed by Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia, and Vietnam, according to Sear Exim Solutions, which tracks export-import data. 

The United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada are the major importers of vermicompost. The demand is rising because vermicompost enhances crop production, plant growth, and soil health. 

Also Read: Engineer quits job to make vermicompost; earns Rs30 lakh from just one acre

Starting vermicompost business

Jyothi and Venkat procured cow dung from dairy farmers in and around their village and prepared 40 beds on their farmland. Each bed was around 5ft x 30ft. Vermicompost can be prepared on raised beds, in cemented tanks or pits, crates, wooden bins, plastic containers or even earthen pots. 

The key requirement, apart from worms, is cow dung or sheep or goat dung to which other organic materials like tree leaves, crop residue, vegetable waste, or crop residues can be added.

“About 20 percent of the earthworms died due to our inexperience. However, we learned from our mistakes and each bed yielded one tonne (1,000 kg) after 2.5 months,” the woman entrepreneur says.

Also Read: Nurse quits high-paying govt. job to make vermicompost; clocks Rs24 lakh annual turnover

Since the couple had no idea about marketing and sales, they sold the 40 tonnes of vermicompost to dealers at around Rs 2,000 per tonne, earning Rs80,000. While they sold it at a low rate, they had seen the proof of concept and decided to continue with this business.

Jyothi’s father owns 40 acres of land, and as the eldest child, she was involved in helping him on the farm. She understood how soil fertility could be improved. That experience helped her quickly understand how vermicomposting worked.

“A farmer took some vermicompost from us and saw good results in his fields. He shared his experience with others and farmers started trusting our brand – Jyothi Organic,” the agripreneur says.

By the time their next batch was ready, people had already started coming for more. “We didn’t have to sell to any dealer the next time. Farmers approached us directly to purchase the compost,” he says.

Also Read: This Kashmir farmer earns Rs 50,000 daily through vermicompost

Profitability of vermicompost business

In 2016, Jyothi shut down her sari business to help her husband full-time as the demand was growing rapidly. The couple innovated to offer two types of vermicompost – the regular one and an advanced variant with added neem powder, pseudomonas, cultures of other soil-friendly bacteria etc. 

“This special vermicompost has 13 ingredients and we sell it at Rs 8,750 per tonne. The regular vermicompost sells for Rs6500 a tonne,” says Venkat. 

Vermicomposting is a highly profitable business due to low initial investment, low recurring expenses and rising demand from farmers.

Once earthworms are purchased, they multiply every 1.5 months and don’t have to be repurchased. The other expenses are cow dung and labour. 

“We procure cow dung and urine from nearby dairy farms. This adds to their income, helps them deal with waste and works well for our business,” she says.

“You can start with a small-scale operation and gradually expand as demand grows, just like we have done. We now have five units in and around Hyderabad. It took us 12 years to reach here,” says Jyothi, emphasizing the importance of patience and consistency.

She says vermicompost can be marketed to a wide range of consumers, including farmers, nurseries, and home gardeners. “We supply to buyers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. My two sons also work with us,” she says, adding that their work has created many employment opportunities in the hinterland. 

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

Also Read: Five farmers who became organic manure millionaires

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