Dry Flower Millionaire and Mushroom Chef

Dear Reader,

Have you ever had a floral tea – hibiscus, butterfly pea, chamomile or any other? I am not a huge fan of infusions of edible dried flowers in hot water, but globally, it is a growing market. People are replacing caffeinated beverages with simple, floral teas that contain antioxidants, reduce stress and improve sleep.

Shivraj Nishad, a medical representative in Kanpur, sensed this rising demand for dry flowers and floral teas while working for a pharma company. His family was into floriculture on a small scale, and Shivraj knew one and one could make eleven!

During COVID-19, he did his research on the demand for dried flowers and quit his job in 2022 to take up butterfly pea farming on a part of his family's land. He told my colleague Anu that he searched for traders online and sent a sample of dry flowers to one of them. The sample led to an order of 12kg, and there was no looking back.

He now has a solar drying capacity of 700 kg of flowers. Can you guess his annual turnover? It is Rs 1.5 crore with a profit margin of 20 percent (Rs 30 lakh). But he hasn’t restricted the gains to himself. He now works with other farmers in and around Kanpur, buying flowers from them at fixed rates and protecting them from market fluctuations. They are a happy lot, and so is Shivraj!

Last week, I spoke to Santosh Bangar, who quit his job as a chef in Dubai’s five-star Ramada Hotel to start mushroom farming at his native place, Manchar in Maharashtra.

Being a chef he understood the market and zeroed in on oyster mushrooms as their demand is higher than supply, unlike button mushrooms.

He now cultivates them throughout the year using low-cost innovations like using drip on gunny bags and fogging to grow them even in peak summer. From just 1,000 sq ft, he harvests 900 to 1,000 kg of mushrooms monthly, clocking Rs1.5 lakh turnover. He provides free training on Sundays and also runs a café.

My colleague Riya spoke to Milind Sawant last week. About ten years ago, he came in contact with visionary agriculturist Dr Subhash Palekar and learned about the importance of seed conservation for sustainable farming. His mother was already saving native seeds for household vegetables, and he decided to support her work. He expanded the native seed collection by procuring seeds from savers, tribal farmers and gardeners.

Today, he has conserved seeds of nearly 200 vegetables, legumes, paddy and oilseeds. In a selfless service, Milind and his family propagate the native seeds over five acres of their family land and sell them to home gardeners at nominal rates ranging between Rs 30 and Rs 50 per packet.

Our Sunday story is on Rajgira. Yes! The grain Indians consume during fasts is now recognised worldwide as a gluten-free, protein-rich superfood. The piece captures the journey of rajgira (amaranth) from Indian fasts to global breakfasts. Do look it up!

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

Kanpur farmer builds flower-drying business; annual turnover at Rs 1.5 crore

Chef quits Dubai job to start mushroom farming; clocks Rs 1.5 lakh monthly from 1,000 sq ft

Pune farmer saves 200 native vegetable and legume seeds; sells at nominal rates across India

Rajgira: India’s forgotten royal grain returns as a superfood