Coming from a family that leads the global automotive components engineering major RSB Group, Soumendra Behera ‘digressed’ into the farming of flowers and vegetables. This would appear out-of-the-box for many. But then, Soumendra is a person who sails against the wind. And he has managed to leave a deep footprint in his field. Three years ago, brothers Soumendra and Saptendra decided to take the risk of commercial floriculture in the unsuitable climatic conditions of Tangi on the outskirts of Cuttack. Today, the long rows of blooming gerberas, blushing roses of varied hues and shades, and elegant carnations are scripting a success story that could drive a new stream of entrepreneurship in Odisha. The State’s first greenhouse floriculture and exotic vegetable farming has begun reaping commercial dividends; so much so that the Behera brothers have begun the process of expansion. Started with an investment of Rs. 1.25 crore, they set up greenhouses over an area of 10 acres. The blooms are not only sold in the domestic markets of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, but are also being sent to Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Ranchi. The fledgling enterprise has notched up a turnover of around Rs. 1.29 crore only from flowers, with roses and gerbera accounting for Rs. 57 lakh and Rs. 72 lakh respectively. The flowers that are grown in seven separate green houses are gaining demand due to their high quality and texture. And Soumendra is all set to add carnations and lilium to the bouquet this year. For Soumendra, the project, though unconventional, has turned into a passion and full-time indulgence. The humanities graduate had been into footwear retail and did not prefer to join the RSB Group founded by his three older brothers Ravindra, Sailendra and Suvendra. But his family has always supported him in his endeavours, shares Soumendra. The idea to try his hands as a floriculturist came to him when he witnessed the surging demand for flowers in the State and the absolute lack of supply due to non-existent domestic produce. The State depended on neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka for supply of flowers. “I floated the idea of starting a floriculture enterprise and it was readily accepted. In fact, the RSB Group took it as a novel initiative to combine business with corporate social responsibility, while developing financially sustainable, ecologically compatible business models that can be replicated to further the agribusiness in the State. And the first greenhouse project of Odisha was conceived,” Soumendra says. The project, though, was not without teething troubles. First, the soil and climate at Tangi were not deemed suitable for growing flowers, that too of exotic varieties. “We set up green houses with state-of-the-art technology and employed expert floriculturists to tend the flowers. The best practices in climate control, drip irrigation, nutrition and soil management have been adopted to bring hugely successful results. We are now able to grow roses in all colours, even rare shades,” he adds. The project is now being expanded to four more acres. Two new greenhouses will be established for growing lilium and carnations exclusively. Plans are also afoot to include orchids in the kitty. Besides, the vegetable and fruit farms that grow varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, muskmelon and tomato are also in the process of being enhanced with focus on vegetables that are not available here. Soumendra’s efforts have brought him recognition. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik awarded him the Best Farmer Prize in 2011. The Government is also keen to replicate the model by encouraging entrepreneurship in the arena.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 06:17:14 +0000
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