Profitable Drumsticks and In-house Microgreens

Life rarely follows a straight path. It is full of twists, turns and unexpected curves, which is why making course corrections along the way is essential. It is pointless to keep repeating the same patterns simply because they feel familiar or because change feels frightening.

Sometimes, embracing change is the only way to break generational cycles and write a new script, which is more empowering and fulfilling.

Prakash Udagati did just that. For generations, his family had been cultivating sugarcane, tobacco, and betel leaves on their farm in Karnataka’s Belagavi district. With sugarcane being a thirsty crop, irrigation costs were high while the market rate was extremely low at under Rs 10 per kg.

Prakash told me he replaced sugarcane with moringa plants on 4 acres in one go as he was sure of profitability.  That was in January 2023. Today, his income has increased over 10 times as he harvests around 60 tonnes of drumsticks annually, earning over Rs 6 lakh an acre.

He sells them in the local Belagavi market at Rs 40-50 per kg, making a profit of around Rs 5 lakh per acre. With one change, he has built a new life for himself and his family.

From Odisha, my colleague Niroj also wrote about an inspiring change – the use of fallow land by tribal farmers in the Malkangiri district. Earlier, they would leave the land unused after harvesting paddy because low rainfall left no room for cultivation.

Now, with government support, they grow green gram and black gram during the Rabi season, increasing their incomes by around a third. They save seeds using traditional methods and grow legumes season after season. It maximises land use at minimum costs.

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My colleague Riya spoke to Samta Bothra, a Delhi housewife, who is now a successful food entrepreneur. A batch of kulfis she made on Holi in 2018 led Samta to prepare more following demands from her relatives and friends. One request led to another, and soon, she was making big batches for companies.

Online delivery platforms took her products far and wide. Today, the kulfis from her home freezer are a Rs1 crore business, serving big companies and customers in the national capital. Riya has detailed her journey from a Rs 5000 investment to a Rs 1 crore turnover, and it makes for an interesting read.

Riya has also put together our weekend piece on growing microgreens at home in five easy steps and at a low cost. She grows them in her kitchen and has first-hand experience of cultivating and using the superfoods. Do look up this one.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

Karnataka farmer replaces sugarcane with drumsticks; turnover at Rs 6 lakh per acre

Odisha’s tribal farmers turn unused land into income with green and black gram farming

From Rs 5000 investment to Rs 1 crore turnover, how this Delhi woman built a thriving kulfi business

Five steps to grow microgreens indoors at low costs