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IIM Graduate leaves corporate job to join father’s dairy business
Mr. Phoolchand Kumawat started Maatratav Dairy to produce tasty and nutritious milk for his daughters while working in PWD Department. Slowly and gradually his farm operations expanded that required more of his time therefore he took voluntary retirement from a secured government job. Later, to take the business to new heights his elder daughter Ms. Ankita Kumawat too joined the family run farm. She was climbing the corporate ladder fast being graduate from prestigious IIM Kolkata but left it to be a farmer in 2014! “There comes saturation in job but family business gives umpteen opportunities to learn and grow. Further agriculture is our roots and there is nothing more satisfying than able to cultivate one’s own food,” she says. Initially it was a dairy farm but later father-daughter duo diversified into growing seasonal fruits, vegetables and food grains, renamed as Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm.
The farm is located at Ajmer, Rajasthan. It has mix of cows and buffaloes in the ratio 80:20. HF, Jersey, Gir and many other desi breeds of cows are raised in the farm while buffalo breed is Murrah. Azolla, elephant grass and other fodder for the cattle is grown in-house in a well planned way ensuring the right mix of nutrients and considering the weather changes. “We strictly follow chemical free farming practices at our farm. All the farming inputs are made from cattle dung and urine,” she informs.
Vaccination and medical care of the cattle is done in-house. “My father is an expert on cattle health management. He treats them as naturally as possible but if the problem is severe then antibiotics are given. In that case we do not use the milk from the cow for a week to ensure there are no traces of antibiotic,” says Ms. Ankita. Farm has healthy bulls for breeding. “We keep the calves in our farm only and do not sell to other farmers.”
Milking is done manually following stringent hygienic schedule and norms. It is done twice a day after 12 hours. Milk produced per day at the farm is 150 liter. It is sold to cooperative as well as in retail to direct customers within one hour of milking. Pricing at cooperative society varies as per the fat count in the milk. It fluctuates every day. On an average buffalo milk is sold at Rs. 42-45 while cow milk is sold at Rs. 27-28/liter. In retail the pricing varies as – buffalo milk @ Rs. 70/liter, indigenous cow milk @ Rs. 50/liter while HF and Jersey milk @ Rs. 38/liter. “When I joined the business I initiated the retail sale because retail is profitable any day over selling milk to cooperatives. However we are forced to sell to cooperative societies because it has been going on since the beginning. Moreover, retail customers in our region are extremely price and taste sensitive. They are not having much awareness on natural farming practices and health benefits of consuming milk of indigenous cows,” shares Ms. Ankita. In retail the milk is packed in one liter and half liter packs manually in the food grade packing material.
Speaking of challenges she mentions about the low awareness and acceptance of healthy food products for a slightly higher price, “When I started selling milk in retail I met almost all my consumers and educated them about A2 milks and its health benefits. I feel it shall take some more years for people to put health before money!”
Ms. Ankita using her exposure received at IIM and corporate brought in modern technologies at her farm. She started drip irrigation and solar systems. “I also introduced moringa in the farm as it is an extremely prospective crop in future. Now we even have a polyhouse to cultivate vegetables. These have good demand in the market and sold at higher price,” she asserts. Vegetables too are sold in retail as well as in wholesale mandi.
In time to come there shall be some major developments at Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm such as installation of bio gas unit, fodder to be grown through hydroponics and mushroom cultivation. “Besides, in the dairy unit we plan to completely switch to indigenous cows. Buffalo milk is sold at higher price but the lactation period is only six months hence the annual maintenance is high. Further desi cows are more profitable in the long term than HF and Jersey for its nutritive milk as well as excreta. We plan to increase the production of A2 milk and market it to the army base in Ajmer and Nasirabad as well as to the educated and health conscious customers. Also we would produce best possible farming inputs from desi cow dung and urine,” she states. In mushroom cultivation, the focus shall be on button and oyster mushroom. “I want to grow only one variety at a time as of now to be able to supply bulk quantity to the buyer for the entire year.”
“Agriculture leads to a healthy and contended life that is rarely achieved in corporate jobs! I am at peace and delighted to be in dairy and horticulture business,” concludes Ms. Ankita.
Contact details:
Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm
C 605 Hanging Garden, Jaisinghpura, Bhakrota, Ajmer Road, Jaipur - 303106
Phone: 09828800054
Email: ankitakumawat@gmail.com
Mr. Phoolchand Kumawat started Maatratav Dairy to produce tasty and nutritious milk for his daughters while working in PWD Department. Slowly and gradually his farm operations expanded that required more of his time therefore he took voluntary retirement from a secured government job. Later, to take the business to new heights his elder daughter Ms. Ankita Kumawat too joined the family run farm. She was climbing the corporate ladder fast being graduate from prestigious IIM Kolkata but left it to be a farmer in 2014! “There comes saturation in job but family business gives umpteen opportunities to learn and grow. Further agriculture is our roots and there is nothing more satisfying than able to cultivate one’s own food,” she says. Initially it was a dairy farm but later father-daughter duo diversified into growing seasonal fruits, vegetables and food grains, renamed as Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm.
The farm is located at Ajmer, Rajasthan. It has mix of cows and buffaloes in the ratio 80:20. HF, Jersey, Gir and many other desi breeds of cows are raised in the farm while buffalo breed is Murrah. Azolla, elephant grass and other fodder for the cattle is grown in-house in a well planned way ensuring the right mix of nutrients and considering the weather changes. “We strictly follow chemical free farming practices at our farm. All the farming inputs are made from cattle dung and urine,” she informs.
Vaccination and medical care of the cattle is done in-house. “My father is an expert on cattle health management. He treats them as naturally as possible but if the problem is severe then antibiotics are given. In that case we do not use the milk from the cow for a week to ensure there are no traces of antibiotic,” says Ms. Ankita. Farm has healthy bulls for breeding. “We keep the calves in our farm only and do not sell to other farmers.”
Milking is done manually following stringent hygienic schedule and norms. It is done twice a day after 12 hours. Milk produced per day at the farm is 150 liter. It is sold to cooperative as well as in retail to direct customers within one hour of milking. Pricing at cooperative society varies as per the fat count in the milk. It fluctuates every day. On an average buffalo milk is sold at Rs. 42-45 while cow milk is sold at Rs. 27-28/liter. In retail the pricing varies as – buffalo milk @ Rs. 70/liter, indigenous cow milk @ Rs. 50/liter while HF and Jersey milk @ Rs. 38/liter. “When I joined the business I initiated the retail sale because retail is profitable any day over selling milk to cooperatives. However we are forced to sell to cooperative societies because it has been going on since the beginning. Moreover, retail customers in our region are extremely price and taste sensitive. They are not having much awareness on natural farming practices and health benefits of consuming milk of indigenous cows,” shares Ms. Ankita. In retail the milk is packed in one liter and half liter packs manually in the food grade packing material.
Speaking of challenges she mentions about the low awareness and acceptance of healthy food products for a slightly higher price, “When I started selling milk in retail I met almost all my consumers and educated them about A2 milks and its health benefits. I feel it shall take some more years for people to put health before money!”
Ms. Ankita using her exposure received at IIM and corporate brought in modern technologies at her farm. She started drip irrigation and solar systems. “I also introduced moringa in the farm as it is an extremely prospective crop in future. Now we even have a polyhouse to cultivate vegetables. These have good demand in the market and sold at higher price,” she asserts. Vegetables too are sold in retail as well as in wholesale mandi.
In time to come there shall be some major developments at Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm such as installation of bio gas unit, fodder to be grown through hydroponics and mushroom cultivation. “Besides, in the dairy unit we plan to completely switch to indigenous cows. Buffalo milk is sold at higher price but the lactation period is only six months hence the annual maintenance is high. Further desi cows are more profitable in the long term than HF and Jersey for its nutritive milk as well as excreta. We plan to increase the production of A2 milk and market it to the army base in Ajmer and Nasirabad as well as to the educated and health conscious customers. Also we would produce best possible farming inputs from desi cow dung and urine,” she states. In mushroom cultivation, the focus shall be on button and oyster mushroom. “I want to grow only one variety at a time as of now to be able to supply bulk quantity to the buyer for the entire year.”
“Agriculture leads to a healthy and contended life that is rarely achieved in corporate jobs! I am at peace and delighted to be in dairy and horticulture business,” concludes Ms. Ankita.
Contact details:
Maatratav Dairy and Organic Farm
C 605 Hanging Garden, Jaisinghpura, Bhakrota, Ajmer Road, Jaipur - 303106
Phone: 09828800054
Email: ankitakumawat@gmail.com
