Lucknow: Mirzapur’s Mukesh Pandey left his high-paying job in 2019 and launched a business of making vermicompost. His decision was full of speculations and his family members doubted his choices. He was keeping his family’s financial condition at stake and in general it was a huge risk to give up a stable job. But after a few months of patience, the profits from his organic fertilizer production surprised everyone. 

Mukesh made an investment of Rs 50,000. Today, he has established training centres and has his own office. In just under four years of work, his company has achieved a turnover of Rs 15 crore.

Who is Mukesh Pandey?

Mukesh earned a post graduate diploma in Management from Indian Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Ahmedabad. During his studies, he got the idea of starting his own enterprise. During that time, his father was battling with cancer, and he needed to support his family financially. Due to this reason, worked a 9 to 5 job for five years.  

Laying the foundation

In the year 2019, Mukesh Pandey formed an FPO ‘Navchetna’ with the help of NABARD. His primary goal was to produce organic fertilizers to promote organic farming.  Earlier, he had been working in an office in Delhi. 

Since he belongs to a village, the sight of cow dung on the corners of the roads in unavoidable. One day, he came up with an idea of turning this waste into a money-earning medium. He had some prior knowledge about fertilizer production from cow dung, which he had acquired during his studies in Gujarat. He discussed the matter with the government officials of the Agricultural Department in his village, and they encouraged him to continue with his endeavour. 

Fertilizer plants

Mukesh shares that he started his venture with just two vermi beds. Today, his company has installed 3000 vermi beds with a capacity to produce 30,000 quintals of organic fertilizer, making it the largest facility in India. 

Mukesh’s FPO collaborates with 1500 farmers, and he is committed to empowering local tribal women. The sales are not limited to India but, his company exports the products to South Krea, Japan and Sri Lanka as well. The FPO operates under the leadership of five directors including, Mukesh Tripathi, Akhilesh Tripathi and Ramu Mishra. 

Expanding the business internationally

Mukesh’s commitment to collective development and empowering farmers is truly commendable. From the beginning, he was aware of the fact that his office job would never let him do something to improve others’ lives along with his own. Leaving his job, he moved back to his village and started his business. He had to convince his family to have faith in him to run this venture successfully.

Today, foreign investors work with him which has boosted his morale. The farmers express their gratitude to him for providing them with stable work. Mukesh’s efforts have been recognized with the felicitation of the Excellent FPO Award and National Level Award for Environment Development and Agricultural Sustainability.