This Assam venture is reimagining poultry for rural livelihoods

The pandemic reshaped livelihoods across India, especially in rural regions where returning migrants faced unemployment and farmers struggled to sell their produce. In Assam, the crisis exposed deep gaps in the food supply chain. Farmers could not reach markets, consumers lacked access to healthy food, and young people searched for meaningful work.

Against this backdrop, grassroots ventures such as Graduate Farmer are rethinking agriculture by combining innovation, community networks, and government support.

The founder’s journey

For Graduate Farmer’s founder Bapan Das, the turning point came during the COVID-19 period. “I returned to my village after practicing law in the city. When I came back, I saw small farmers unable to sell their produce, while people in cities were not getting good, healthy food. Migrant workers had also returned home. There were three major problems: unemployment, farmers’ struggles, and consumers not getting quality food,” he recalls.

Das decided to act. While exploring opportunities in sustainable poultry, he also became aware of the health risks linked to antibiotic-heavy poultry products in the market.

“I felt this was the right time and the right problem to work on,” he says.

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Innovation at the grassroots

His first step was building a hatching machine on his own. “I developed the machine myself, sourced eggs, and hatched chicks. Feed was expensive, so I started formulating my own using locally available grains and resources. We even applied for a patent for this feed formulation,” Das explains.

He then began supplying feed and chicks to other farmers, gradually shaping a local supply chain that evolved into the Graduate Farmer network. “Step by step, we kept moving forward. More people joined, and the impact slowly became visible,” he says.

Today, more than 400 farmers are connected to the network both offline and online, and over 10,000 people have been trained through Graduate Farmer’s digital platforms such as YouTube. “By 2030, across the Northeast and the rest of India, we aim to train 10,000 farmers in sustainable poultry practices so they can implement these methods in their own regions, even without us,” Das says.

Government support

Das credits the Assam government for enabling his journey. “The current ministry, including those in the animal husbandry department, have been very supportive. Whenever I face issues in any department, road-related problems, or need help setting up an industry, I receive full support,” he says.

He believes the broader ecosystem has created confidence among rural entrepreneurs. “The government cannot fund everyone, but it is building an ecosystem that gives people like us from villages the confidence to move forward. There is a sense of security in Assam that allows us to take such steps. I believe the government has done very good work for startups,” he adds.

Formal recognition has also played a role. “Just like the central government provides startup registration, Assam has its own initiatives. This has helped build investor confidence in our startup and ensured government recognition,” he explains.

Vision ahead

Das’s ambition is clear. “My dream is to build the first company from Assam and the Northeast to reach a turnover of Rs 100 crore,” he says.

From a small experiment in sustainable poultry to a growing farmer network, Graduate Farmer reflects how rural entrepreneurship in Assam is evolving. With community participation, local innovation, and institutional support coming together, the venture points to a future where agriculture can generate both livelihoods and long-term resilience.

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