Farming can be profitable and make farmers millionaires! To celebrate their “star” farmers, Transform Rural India (TRI) organised a Millionaire Farmers Breakfast at Mumbai’s favourite farm-to-table restaurant, Project Hum to celebrate Kisan Diwas (December 23).
The table was set and the colourful breakfast looked sumptuous, but the attraction went beyond the spread. The spotlight was on the “star” millionaire farmers who were being honoured at Project Hum, Mumbai’s farm-to-table restaurant, for scripting success stories on their farmlands in Jharkhand.
For the farmers it was an experience they found difficult to express in words. For the first time they left the soil they are rooted in and experienced the endless expanse of the sky at 30,000 feet. For Pinki Kumari from the small hamlet of Fadilmarcha in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district, the experience was akin to having a million butterflies in her stomach. “I’d never even boarded a train in my life and a flight, not even in my dreams. This was my first time.”
The Bandra-based eatery hosted Kumari, along with other farmers including Haricharan Oraon from Dhurleta village and Nikki Kumari from Purana Pani, at the breakfast to celebrate Kisan Diwas that is observed on December 23. It featured produce by the farmers who are part of Transform Rural India’s transformative Millionaire Farmers Development Programme (MFDP).
The MFDP, launched in 2019, guides farmers on building a profitable and sustainable livelihood from farming. The programme has so far enabled 41 farmers from Jharkhand’s tribal areas to achieve ‘Millionaire Farmer’ status, earning an income that surpasses Rs 10 lakh annually.
The event was aimed at celebrating their achievements and produce. The breakfast was a beautifully curated spread made from fresh, seasonal produce directly sourced from the farmers’ fields.
The talented chefs at Project Hum transformed the produce sustainably cultivated by the farmers into flavourful dishes. The spread showcased a variety of crops, such as three types of sweet potatoes, tomatoes grafted on brinjal plants, and speciality strawberries.
Many Indians migrate from villages to big, overcrowded cities under the belief that they will never make a good living – let alone become rich – staying in their villages. Others, who do choose to stay behind, often end up tilling someone else’s land rather than developing profitable methods from cultivating their own fields.
TRI’s MFDP bridges skill gaps by helping farmers leverage advanced technologies and grow crops according to their local agroecological conditions and market demands. This way, farmers not only learn how to use resources efficiently and sustainably but also to optimise yields while ensuring environmental health.
The event began with Raghav Simha, co-founder of Project Hum, introducing the philosophy of sustainability and the importance of supporting local farmers. He also emphasised how the event aligns with the vision of celebrating sustainable farming practices and bringing fresh, locally sourced food to the table.
The millionaire farmers shared insights from their experiences with sustainable farming, discussing key practices such as organic farming, mixed cropping and drip irrigation. They collectively stressed the significance of empowering farmers, especially in tribal regions, and how this can lead to better health, stronger communities and a more resilient environment.
Sharing her success story, Nikki Kumari explained how joining the MFDP helped her overcome the challenges of traditional farming and become a successful farmer. She is making use of mixed agriculture, drip irrigation, and mulching at the modern nursery she has set up on her seven acres of land. As a result, she is earning more compared to traditional agricultural practices.
She believes that education is very important for modern agriculture. “Earlier, we did not earn much. Other farmers – even women and grandfathers – are coming to see our farm and learn from us. Last year, we spent around Rs. six lakhs and earned Rs. 12-13 lakhs.”
With the knowledge gained, Kumari was able to send her two daughters to DAV School, comfortably manage family expenses, and alleviate the financial strain they once faced. She also purchased a tractor, further improving her farming efficiency.
Pinki, affectionately known as ‘Pinki didi’ in her community, shared how MFDP enabled her to venture into plant grafting. This technique tripled her yield and allowed her to earn significant profits by selling the produce.
“With traditional farming practices I hardly made any profit. I still cultivate potatoes and peas like I used to, but now I also graft tomatoes and brinjals. In the first year, in 2022-23, I took a loan and invested Rs one lakh and earned a profit of about Rs four lakhs. The next year, I invested around Rs six lakhs,” she added.
Meanwhile, Haricharan emphasised the value of self-sufficiency.
Instead of working on someone else’s land, we take pride in cultivating our own and becoming our own boss through dedication and hard work
he said.
A programme like MFDP is particularly significant in view of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030, which counts India among nations slated to drive foodgrain production in the current decade. However, for India to fully realise its potential as a global agricultural powerhouse, empowering rural farmers with capacity building and the requisite knowledge is critically important.
MFDP is certainly off to a good start and hopefully the community of millionaire farmers will further swell in the years to come.
The lead photo shows Jharkhand’s “millionaire farmers” ready to fly to Mumbai to celebrate Kisan Diwas. (Photo by Bapi Gorai)
