Essential Oil Entrepreneur and Nutrition Gardens

Dear Reader,

Have you ever tried changing your occupation? Like from a teacher to a performing artist or from a lawyer to a journalist? Two of our stories this week are about individuals who changed their occupations to earn better and be their own bosses.

The first one is Aswini Nayak, a post-graduate in mathematics, who ran a cement unit before discovering the more profitable business of extracting essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants. From maths to cement to oils is quite a journey. But Aswini aced it, writes my colleague Niroj.

He set up Nilachal Aromas in Odisha’s Gajapati district in 2018. He procures raw materials from over 200 farmers, providing them with stable income opportunities. His annual revenue is Rs 2 crore, much higher than his cement business. Niroj has detailed what makes the oil extraction business successful. Do look it up.

The other story is from the drought-prone Solapur district of Maharashtra. When Jalindar Jadkar was working as a technician with Tata Motors, the company announced a VRS package in 2020. Jalindar realised he would be better off switching to farming from the factory, given the lockdown.

He accepted the proposal and began avocado farming in Kurduvadi. Today, he earns Rs 26 lakh annually from just 200 trees on one acre. “I could never have earned so much in a job. My bet paid off,” he told me. His profit is over Rs 24 lakh a year because the avocado is a hardy plant and requires little maintenance.

My colleague Niroj wrote another interesting piece last week. He spoke to tribal families in Koraput. Their traditional diet consisted of only millets, rice, some leafy greens, and wild yams, leading to widespread malnutrition.

Under a government project supported by the MSSR Foundation, they were trained to grow organic nutrition gardens near their homes. Set up over just 2 to 5 cents of land, these gardens have become the source of fresh fruits and vegetables for tribal people. The surplus is sold in the market, adding to their income.

The result is that malnutrition levels have reduced and incomes have increased. If similar nutri-gardens can be grown in other places where land is available, they can address malnutrition.

Coincidentally, our Sunday feature is also from Odisha this time. My colleague Aruna spoke to young weavers from Gopalpur, famous for its GI-tagged tussar weaving. Instead of giving up the craft like in most other clusters, the youngsters here are keeping their traditional occupation alive. How?

They learn new design trends from social media and contemporize their sarees, stoles, dupattas, and other products. They also use technology to sell their products globally, including the US, Europe, and Australia. The prices start at Rs 4,500 and go up to lakhs.

This has brought abandoned looms back to life in Gopalpur, and GenNext is willing to experiment with newer materials and weaves.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

How this Odisha man clocks Rs 2 crore turnover by extracting oils from medicinal plants

This avocado farmer earns Rs26 lakh per acre in drought-prone Solapur

How Odisha’s organic nutri-gardens are improving health and incomes

How Gopalpur’s GenNext tussar weavers are making handloom weaving profitable