Beekeeper Architect and Natural Farmer

When I was in school, honeybees made a hive on an Ashoka tree in our small garden. The hive kept growing, and my parents feared our ball hitting the tree while playing. One day, my dad came to know about a bee removal specialist.

He came with his team and asked us and our neighbours to close all doors and windows. They burnt some wood under the tree, and the bees soon vacated the hive due to the smoke. They squeezed the hive and filtered the honey. My mother shared it with our neighbours.

Today, I understand this is not the best way to extract honey as it destroys the comb and disrupts the colony's natural processes. With emerging scientific practices, beekeeping is now a sustainable and profitable agricultural enterprise due to a growing market demand for honey and other products.

That’s why Vishal Pachaar took up beekeeping after degrees in architecture and urban planning. He told my colleague Aruna that his start-up Jagdev Organics offers various varieties of honey, pollen, beeswax and other products in India and Dubai. It also trains farmers and beekeepers in best practices to help augment their incomes.

The Haryana-based startup’s turnover was Rs 1.15 crore in the second year of operations (FY 25), and Vishal hopes to double it this year. By the way, did you know that bee pollen is a protein-rich superfood? I didn’t know till I read Aruna’s story. Do look it up.

My colleague Chandhini spoke to Sreevidya from Kasargod, Kerala, last week. Her transition from an accountant to a natural farmer is interesting and inspiring, as the region where she lives is rocky and full of stones, making farming difficult.

She learnt to make rocky areas cultivable and now grows fruits, flowers and vegetables over 6 acres of owned and leased land. Sreevidya uses rainwater harvesting, precision farming and sows crops according to market demand, making farming profitable.

Her story shows how to use every inch of land to earn money, making it a good read.

My colleague Niroj spoke to Babuli Mallick last week. While working as a welder in Malaysia, Babuli met three farmers, who made good money by growing dragon fruits. A decade later, when Babuli got home in Odisha, he took just 0.2 acres of land on lease and began cultivating the exotic fruit.

He now earns Rs50,000 a month, much more than wheat farmers' income from an acre after toiling for three to four months. It is time for farmers to diversify partly into fruit and flower farming to reduce risks and earn more. Babuli is an example that even small landholdings can be profitable.

Our Sunday story is on the grand old havelis built by wealthy traders centuries ago in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region. They still glow with colourful wall paintings and carved doors. But most stand silent now. Why? Read on to know.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

Architect turned beekeeper sets up organic honey business; revenues hit Rs 1.15 crore in second year

How this Kerala woman is turning rocky lands into profitable, lush green fields

How this Odisha farmer earns Rs 50,000 monthly from dragon fruit farming on just 0.2 acres

The silent havelis of Shekhawati