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

When COVID-19 hit, Pramod Saharan was homebound like everyone else. An M Tech in Transportation (civil engineering), he was an assistant professor at a college in Bhiwani, Haryana. The lockdown allowed him to pursue his childhood hobby of gardening.

“For healthy growth of my plants, I would procure vermicompost from a local shop. The use of vermicompost made me interested in its composition and preparation,” Pramod tells 30Stades.

Starting with an experiment

He procured 1 kg of earthworms from the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) for Rs500. “They were of the Eisenia foetida variety, which is good for composting in Indian weather and gives high produce,” he says.

Also Read: This Kashmir farmer earns Rs 50000 daily through vermicompost

He put them with some cow dung in a corner of his home garden to watch them grow.

“Instead of bringing in a large quantity and incurring losses I decided to see their lifecycle. I observed that they doubled every 1.5 months,” he says.

Earthworms need water to stay hydrated and survive. “One day, I added tap water to them and all of them died. Later I realised it was due to chlorine present in the supply water. By then I had learned about their multiplication, growth and optimum survival condition,” he says.

From experiment to profits

After that, he quit his job. In March 2021, Pramod procured 60 kg earthworms at Rs300 per kg and transferred them to his farm in Kaimri village, Hisar, on five vermicompost beds. Vermicompost can be prepared on raised beds, in cemented tanks or pits, crates, wooden bins, plastic containers or even earthen pots. 

Also Read: How this Assam woman earns Rs3.5 lakh per month through vermicomposting

The other key requirements are 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. 

Pramod made five beds each with 4 ft width and 30 ft length, putting around 12kg of worms and 1700 to 1800 kg of cow dung in each bed. The cost per bed was around Rs1600 (3600 for worms and Rs800 for cow dung).

The vermicompost in five beds was ready by June and yielded 40 quintals (4,000 kg). Pramod sold it to terrace and backyard gardeners and vegetable growers through word of mouth at an average of Rs12 per kg.

“I made Rs 48,000 in revenues while incurring costs of Rs 22,000 on worms and cow dung. The profit was Rs26,000 and I realised that vermicompost was a good business opportunity,” he says. 

Expansion and growth

Vermicompost improves soil fertility, aeration, and water retention, leading to higher crop yields. Being organic, it does not harm the environment and is rich in macro and micronutrients, vitamins, and growth hormones.

About an acre of Pramod’s ancestral farm was vacant. So he expanded from five beds to 50 and then to 85 beds between 2021 and 2024. 

Also Read: Custard apple farmer starts vermicomposting; clocks Rs30 lakh annually

This one acre now has 120 vermicompost beds, processing machines, and a packaging and storage area. “One vermicompost bed is ready in three months and after that, we have to make a fresh bed. Typically, you can have three cycles a year per bed,” he explains.

Today, three annual cycles from 120 beds result in a total output of 2700 quintals or 2.70 lakh kg of vermicompost per year. 

He sells vermicompost in various pack sizes. Small packs are sold at Rs70 per 5kg bag and Rs15 for one kg. Only about 15 percent of the sales are from nurseries. The rest are farmers and gardeners who buy directly from the unit. The average rate works out to Rs800 per quintal, resulting in an annual income of around Rs22 lakh.

Then he also sells worms to farmers who want to start the vermicompost business. “The rate of worms is between Rs100 per kg and Rs200 per kg depending on the season and demand-supply situation. Annually, I sell earthworms worth around Rs7 lakh to Rs8 lakh,” he says.

This results in a total annual income of Rs30 lakh.

“Initially, I put out pamphlets in local newspapers and people came to my unit to buy vermicompost. My client base is growing through word of mouth and I don’t have to transport the product. Buyers procure it from my unit, saving transportation costs,” he says.

Pramod plans to expand to 150 beds soon, creating more income and employment opportunities. 

(Rashmi Pratap is a Mumbai- based journalist specialising in financial, business and socio-economic reporting). 

Also Read: Five farmers who became organic manure millionaires

Look up our YouTube Channel