2024-08-24 08:16:05
New Delhi: It is said that an idea changes fate. The same happened with Abdul Ahad, who lives in Kashmir. Abdul lives in Anantnag, Kashmir and is an organic farmer. He has a business of making vermicompost. His unit makes more than 5 thousand kilograms of manure daily. He also gives free training to people to make vermicompost. Abdul got the idea of making vermicompost after listening to two women. Today he is earning 50 thousand rupees daily from this business. Abdul says that it was around the year 1996. One day he was going somewhere by train. During the journey, he heard two women from Sikkim talking. Those women were talking about the benefits of using vermicompost i.e. earthworm manure in their plants. Abdul got the idea from here that if the work of earthworm manure is started then it can be profitable. After returning home, he stepped into this business. Abdul grows apples, pears and vegetables in his fields.
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interested in things
Abdul was already a farmer. He had 5 acres of land in Semthan village of Anantnag district. When he heard the women talking about earthworm compost, he became interested in their talk. Abdul says that he had seen earthworms in his field, but never thought that they could be used to make earthworm compost. Let us tell you that earthworm compost strengthens the roots of plants and increases the fertility of the soil, which leads to better crop yield.
Took help from District Agriculture Officer
After returning home, Abdul went to the district agriculture officer. He discussed with the officer the idea of preparing vermicompost commercially. One of the objectives of this was that other farmers should also benefit from it. He set up a vermicompost unit with 30 pits. Here he put earthworms (available on his farm) and organic waste material (cow dung etc.). Farmers did not show any interest in it and the unit had to be closed.
tried my luck again
In 2002, Abdul tried his luck again in making earthworm compost. He prepared four beds of 15 x 3 feet. He used the earthworm compost prepared here in his field. As a result, the crop in the field grew well. The next year, i.e. in 2003, he sold four bags of 50 kg of earthworm compost. Later, he formed a company named Ahad Agro Farms. Gradually, his earthworm compost became a topic of discussion in the whole of Kashmir.
had to increase business
Abdul says that later a large number of people started coming to me to buy earthworm compost. To meet the demand, the number of beds had to be increased. He says that to meet the increasing demand, he bought earthworms for the first time in the year 2013 from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Anantnag. Its price along with compost was Rs 1500 per kilogram.
This is how much money is earned
Today Abdul makes vermicompost in 15 kanals (1000 beds) and makes 100 to 120 bags of 50 kg daily. He has two units in Anantnag and one in Jammu. Each bag costs Rs 500. He easily earns Rs 50,000 by selling 100 bags a day. Abdul’s annual business was Rs 1.5 crore in the last financial year. He wants to increase it to Rs 2 crore in this financial year. Abdul has also received many awards from the government.