Photographer starts organic fertiliser business with Rs2000 investment; earns Rs30 lakh a year

When Jitendra Moharana set up his studio with a savings of Rs 10,000 and a loan of Rs 20,000 from friends and family, little did he know that life had something else in store for him. With a second-hand digital camera and a pre-used computer, he began earning Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 every month as a photographer and videographer. 

Jitendra then worked for two Odia dailies and television channels from 2014 to 2019. In 2020, COVID-19 forced him to close his studio. He began researching online for income-generating options in his village, Jharigaon, in the Nabarangpur district of Odisha.

“I wanted to do something new in the agriculture sector. So after browsing the Internet for many days, I zeroed in on preparing organic manure and vermicompost as they are organic ways to enrich the soil and benefit the farmers,” Jitendra tells 30Stades.

Beginning with vermicompost

When Covid-19 was at its peak, Jitendra invested Rs 2,000 in buying earthworms and cow dung to prepare vermicompost – a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser prepared when earthworms digest organic waste. It improves soil fertility and water retention, increasing plant growth and crop yields due to beneficial microorganisms and nutrients.

“I purchased 2 kg of earthworms from Nabarangpur-based Kendriya Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Rs 500 per kg. I also collected agricultural waste and cow dung from farmers (for free), and spent Rs 1000 on labour and transportation,” he says. 

“I dug four tanks to prepare vermicompost for use in the kitchen garden,” he says. 

Also Read: This engineer clocks Rs4 lakh monthly from vermicompost business on 1.5 acres

The results were good. Jitendra used it in his kitchen garden and distributed the remaining vermicompost among 30 farmers for free. “I wanted to know the result in their fields. When I received positive reports, I began selling the vermicompost at Rs 10 per kg,” says Jitendra, whose father Ram Hari Moharana is a carpenter. 

After two months, he set up six beds (each measuring 3 ft x 10 ft) to prepare vermicompost since the earthworms he had purchased had multiplied. There was high demand for his product, leading him to expand production. 

“In 2021-22, I set up 300 open beds, each measuring 3 ft x 30 ft. I procured 20 kg of earthworms at Rs 500 per kg from Madhya Pradesh and mixed them with those already available with me,” he says. 

“As earthworms multiply rapidly, the quantity purchased earlier from KVK produced a substantial bulk. The annual turnover that year was over Rs 10 lakh,” he adds.  

Today, Jitendra earns Rs 30 lakh annually by making over 250 tonnes of vermicompost and organic manure at his unit. 

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

How vermicompost is prepared

He purchases fresh cow dung at Rs 3000 per tractor (25 to 30 quintals) and adds agricultural waste to it.

A polythene sheet is spread at the bottom of each bed, on which a layer of fresh cow dung is set. Then a layer of agricultural waste is laid. This process continues until the bed is filled and then covered with sacks. 

Each layer is about 3 to 4 feet high and 6 feet wide. The bed is left for 21 days for partial decomposition of layers. The content is mixed weekly. About 20 kg of earthworms are mixed into the bed and left for 30 days.

Vermicompost production drastically decreases during the rains as beds are in the open. The number increases to over 300 beds during winter and summer.  

The vermicompost is filtered and packaged for sale under the brand name ‘Khusi’.  After this, the pebbles and stones picked from the residue are mixed in the layers of the new beds. 

“I sell vermicompost in retail to individual customers at Rs 20 per kg and in bulk (minimum 50 kg) at Rs 12 per kg to traders in Odisha and neighbouring Chhattishgarh. Farmers in almost all districts of South Odisha buy vermicompost from me,” the agripreneur says. 

He also sells earthworms at Rs 450 to Rs 500 per kg in retail and at Rs 350 to Rs 450 per kg in bulk.

Also Read: How this UP farmer's son set up Rs3 crore biofertilizer business

How organic manure is prepared

Jitendra prepares organic manure with powdered and dried cow dung, goat and chicken droppings, gram flour, jaggery, dried leaves of neem and arakha (Giant Milkweed), bovine urine, and ashes. 

“They are mixed thoroughly, heaped into a pile and covered with a polythene sheet. The pile is stirred thoroughly once every three days. After 21 days, the organic manure is ready.  This process takes place during the summer,” he adds.

Jitendra retails organic manure to farmers at Rs 12 per kg and at Rs 8 in bulk. He has hired 20 people. 

Jitendra now plans to set up a plant to prepare vermicompost using maize residue under the state government’s Mukhyamantri Krushi Vikas Yojana.

“Under this scheme, 40 per cent of the project cost is provided as a subsidy by the government, if the land is taken on lease for a minimum of 15 years,” he says. Currently, Jitendra prepares these two biofertilizers on one acre of land leased at Rs 48,000 per year.

“Maize is abundantly grown mostly in Jharigaon, Umerkote and Raighar blocks. But farmers there set their residue after harvest. My proposed plant would utilise it to prepare vermicompost,” he adds.

Jitendra also motivates farmers to practice natural and organic farming by organising meetings and workshops. Farmers, agricultural experts and students come to the site for exposure visits.  

“Jitenda once met me to cover my integrated farming on 15 acres. Inspired by my farming, he decided to do something different for the development of agriculture and horticulture. Now he tops the list of vermicompost manufacturers in South Odisha. I purchase vermicompost exclusively from him,” says Sanjeev Das, a progressive farmer in Umerkote in Nabarangpur district.  

(Niroj Ranjan Misra is a Cuttack-based freelance writer. He writes on rural and tribal life, social issues, art and culture, and sports.)

Also Read: From Rs500 investment to Rs7 lakh monthly turnover, how this Assam woman built a vermicompost business

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