In conversation with Digpu, agripreneur Achyuth Reddy speaks about his ventures, the inspiration he finds in simplicity and the vision he has for the youth and his zeal for empowering the Indian farmer.
It is no easy task to turn adversity into opportunity; only a few can turn the tide and come out triumphant on the other side. And the task becomes even more arduous when the adversity is a personal loss which can take a toll on a person’s mental health and bogs him down. But this person was undeterred knowing that he had to take care of his bedridden father at an early age of 15 along with shouldering the financial and family responsibilities without losing focus on his education and entrepreneurship goals.
The tough times ahead acted as a catalyst and nurtured his ideas so well that the now 25-year-old young Agri-preneur Gomaram Achyuth Reddy is setting a sustainable trend in the agri-business sector in Telangana state.
Mr.Reddy created a brand with the free-range egg movement in Telangana in addition to owning a startup and a foundation to help farmers succeed. He pondered upon the non-lucrative and unorganized farming sector in the country and realized that food adulteration will be a great threat to the society in the future and took upon himself in bringing a revolution in how food is produced and distributed.
Thus, this Bachelor of Technology graduate took the plunge and narrowed in on the poultry space and decided to provide high-quality free-range eggs for the Indian market.
Success did not come easy to Mr Reddy. After initial setbacks, lack of proper knowledge and guidance and numerous trials and tribulations for around three years, Mr Reddy finally introduced NutriFresh Premium Quality Free Range Eggs to the Indian market.
“Currently, the eggs produced are directly delivered to end consumers in a ‘Farm to Table’ concept which we have pioneered even though on a small scale. This cuts out the middlemen in the supply chain and ensures quality and quantity which builds trust between the producer and the consumer”, says Mr Reddy. He proudly adds, “Ours is the only brand in India which has successfully implemented the ‘Farm to Table’ concept in the poultry egg production industry.”
Nutrifresh Premium Quality Free Range Eggs are far superior in taste and nutritious content when compared to their commercial counterparts which can be vouched for by the ever-growing customer base. The colour of the yolk, consistency of egg-white and the odour of Nutrifresh Premium Quality Free Range eggs are easily recognizable, and are endorsed by many doctors and health care professionals.
Mr Reddy explains, “Our Core values are Sustainability, Animal welfare, and ethical farming techniques and complete operations at the farm are very transparent which gives utmost importance to the well-being of the hens that lay the eggs”. The birds are housed in vast barns with plenty of space, access to clean and pure water round the clock, a natural feed comprising of greens, Azolla, hydroponic grains and outdoor access where they can exhibit their natural instincts of foraging, sunbathing and socializing. No chemical or steroids are ever used and animal by-product feed is also a strict No-No. He believes that ‘Happy Hens lay Nutritious Eggs’.
Another brainchild of Mr.Reddy is Kisaan Shakthi Products which works towards ‘Empowering the Indian Farmer’, wherein he procures consumables like milk, milk products, cereals, jaggery, and honey from local farmers and creates a lucrative and sustainable market.
This way the farmer gets a fair and remunerative price for his produce and the end consumers have access to natural and wholesome food products. This kind of collaboration is a win-win situation for both farmers and consumers and discourages food adulteration and contamination. “If farmers get a remunerative price, they will not adulterate. We are letting the farmers decide the price for their produce and the farmers get what they want,” adds Reddy.
There is a much bigger social angle to his business and Mr Reddy explains, “I envision India with more youth taking up farming by making it a respectable and profitable profession. This idea has led to the birth of ‘Making A Farmer’ foundation, through which we aim to encourage one million people to take up agriculture.”
“India needs more farmers. Though ours is an agriculture-oriented country, in reality, earnings are poor. I want youth to take up farming and change is for good” says Mr. Reddy. He has started supporting and training farmers with his models and templates which can make agri-business a profitable venture. With seminars, webinars, farm visits, and training, he wants to act as a bridge between farmers and other agriculture-related professionals.
Business is prospering for Nutrifresh eggs, adding an average of 200 new customers every month since inception and are not able to keep up with the ever-growing demand for the eggs. The farm operations, collection and distribution are handled by a team of 30, which is personally managed by Mr Reddy.
The recent COVID-19 situation did put him to test but he successfully mitigated the situation and continued operations with minimal disruptions. “I fought a hard battle with the lockdown so that the farmers who are dependent on me will not suffer. Our business model was adapted dynamically to the ever-changing situation and some key decisions around supply chain helped us succeed”.
So, what does future hold for this young agripreneur? Mr Achyuth Reddy smiles and optimistically concludes, “Even though this is just the beginning, we feel that with the support and patronage of our customers we could turn a new chapter in the Agri-based industry in India and provide natural and nutritious food to the society.”
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