Gaurav Shrivastava, managing director of Biorific group released his video on FTB recently. He introduced the audience to what his organization is about and how it works with farmers. Biorific group is based out of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
He starts with his business production house (the farms where crops are produced) where we start the journey from being a farmer to a merchant farmer. He explains the process that Biorific follows, its vision and how they plan to achieve it.
He shows us his Guava garden farm where the trees are growing. The trees are watered through drip irrigation. They use intercropping in this farm as medicinal crops grow side by side with the Guava trees. Ashwagandha plants (Withania somnifera of nightshade family) are grown here, which have been harvested recently and the soil is being prepared to start another farming cycle of these plants. He advised farmers to use their land and their time efficiently so as to maximize their earnings.
Then he took us to his mango groves where the trees are beginning to bear fruits. Intercropping is followed on these farms too. On some of the trees they experiment with new farming techniques to find ways to improve the productivity. Next to the mango trees is the Organic Cauliflower farm where farming is done with modern techniques. Gaurav, shows us the drip irrigation pipes which have been laid out next to the cauliflower plants to make sure neither too less nor excess water is applied to the plant roots. This results in good quality and quantity of cauliflowers, resulting in increased earnings for farmers. Gaurav says Biorific gives the right price and right platform to the farmers for the sale of their products.
Next he takes us to his strawberry farm where the strawberry plants have been planted according to the matted row system. He shows us the fruit and talks about its good quality. He shows us the three stages of strawberry growing: first the flower grows, the flower grows into a smallish fruit, which then matures into the full-size strawberry ready for consumption. He plucks some strawberries and shows how juicy and delicious looking they are. Strawberries from these farms are exported in frozen form. Gaurav suggests that farmers can earn 5-6 lakhs per annum easily by farming on one acre of land. He said he can teach the farmers to earn up to 15 lakhs per year on one acre of land.
Now he shows us his farm where he grows peas which he says are in big demand in winters be it in their natural form or as frozen peas. He said in frozen form the peas can be enjoyed throughout the year. Therefore Biorific takes the produce of peas from the farmers, processes them as frozen peas and then exports them. He said farmers don't need to worry about how their crops and products will be sold, Biorific takes care of that. He tells farmers to see their farms as production units. Gaurav talks about how he has taught farmers to make maximum use of land available to them, by planting the maximum amount of plants or trees on minimum size of land. Biorific exports these farm products to Dubai and other cities in UAE.
Why should we adopt advanced and modern farming and what are its benefits?
Firstly most of the farmers we work with are small landholders. Modern techniques give better productivity, better results, require less manpower and give more earnings. Gaurav said if you compare 2 acre land with modern techniques and 8 acre land with traditional techniques the 2 acres land will win hands down in terms of earnings and productivity.
He takes us to his chickpeas farm and talks about first finding market for products, then grow your product well and next to maximize earning through increasing productivity. Like all our FTB members Gaurav talks of benefits of organic farming over inorganic farming, how chemicals ruin the quality of soil and the food products that grow on them. And these are dangerous to the health of the consumers of these farm products.
What Biorific does?
- Provide right advise and guide farmers in the right direction.
- Provide seeds and saplings of highest quality to these farmers, which will in turn give high quality produce and hence avoiding rejections and thus wastages.
- Sell these farm products at not high but correct prices. Farmers earn money that improves their lifestyle and improves the quality of their life.
How do you earn more money?
Gaurav claims that Rs 50k - Rs 10 lakhs per acre per produce can be earned by growing what Biorific tells you, follow the farming model designed by Biorific which uses intercropping and crop rotation.
You have to grow their suggested items Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Akarkara (Anacyclus pyrethrum), Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), Safed musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum ), kali haldi (Curcuma caesia) and others - these are in very high demand in domestic and overseas market. Now all you have to do is work hard and honestly with us and we will progress in the right direction.
Gaurav takes us to his organic turmeric farm where coriander grows alongside the turmeric plants. He said that Biorific does R&D on its products and on innovative techniques to increase business output. He asked farmers to join Biorific , grow what they tell you , you will produce well and earn minimum 5 lakhs per year. Then he takes us to his boiling plant which is used to process turmeric, all type of turmeric is processed here. This value added turmeric earns a good income. He shows us the organic veggies farm where different type of veggies are grown which he says are good for health.
Gaurav asked farmers and people willing to be associated with Biorific to meet his consultants and agronomists who will guide you in the right direction. In the end he thanked Krishi Jagran for the opportunity and platform to showcase his company's activities in the public domain.
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