Haryana entrepreneur develops product to help farmers increase their income
Leaving a dream life abroad and moving back home with an intention to make a difference to the lives of people is a path less followed.
Nitin Lalit (34), an automobile technician, was working with the General Motors (GM) in Canada for four years, before he decided to move to India in 2016, with an aim to uplift the lives of marginal farmers. With Haryana seeing a rise in the number of farmer suicides, Nitin wanted to help the marginal farmers operating on a small piece of land increase their yield.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows around 250 suicides related to the farming sector in Haryana in 2016, a rise of 54 percent from 2015.
Nitin Lalit, Founder, Alpha Advantech
According to Nitin, who also belongs to a farmer’s family, farming on an acre of land is not feasible with the current methods. “You don’t see a farmer with 50 acres of land dying,” says Nitin.
With savings of around Rs 45 lakh, Nitin launched Alpha Advantech in 2017 in Karnal, Haryana. The company’s first product called Alpha Planters is ready-for-sale now.
“My product Alpha Planters can help farmers increase their income by at least five times while operating on the same piece of land.”
According to Nitin, almost all the research till now has been done on methods such as above-the-ground like grafting. But not much emphasis has been laid on the root system. “Our planters work on the root system. We believe that stronger the roots, better the fruits,” says Nitin.
Tapping on to the sentiment that no one criticises gardening, Alpha planters has been developed with a variety of uses. Apart from targeting marginal farmers, the product is ready-to-go, plug-n-play home growing cultivation system for home owners. Nitin claims,
“You may have a small balcony, a backyard, a rooftop garden or acres of land. We will help you grow your food there - be it ginger, turmeric, parsley, wheat, or anything.”
He has created a consumer experience centre in two acres of land at his facility to let people experience how they can grow food in their homes. The Alpha Planters are also compact and collapsible. It means you can bring them home like a calendar, completely rolled and then unfold at home. “They come in different shapes and variety. You can hang them on walls or put them on the floor. It is priced in the range of Rs 49 to Rs 4,999,” adds Nitin.
It also comes with a lifetime warranty. If it cracks without any human involvement, it will be completely replaced.
He takes pride in his product and asserts it is unique as no one has hit this vertical yet. Nitin says, “We have applied for 10 patents for Alpha Planters, which will be granted soon.”
For marketing his products, Nitin says he plans to go online as one part of his entire strategy. He feels the collapsible characteristic of his product will go a long way in attracting customers. “You can carry 2,000 pots in a small laptop bag,” claims Nitin.
He also plans to associate with many Residential Welfare associations (RWA) and hold sessions to make them understand on how to grow food easily at home. Nitin says he is interested in community-based marketing rather than targeting individuals.
Alpha Planters
Nitin also plans to attend farmers’ meet in order to sell the product and to demonstrate how they can benefit from the product. “It is a totally untapped market. A little campaigning and advertising will go a long way,” he says. Unhappy about the state of affairs in our country, he says,
“The government does an excellent lip service, but nothing on ground. My biggest challenge was getting an electricity connection as I had to pay a bribe for getting a 6 KWH connection to my facility.”
He adds, “A bank, which is a channel partner of ‘Startup India,’ had no idea about the programme. I had to explain them everything. They never gave me money, only gave me dates for the future.”
While appearing wary of the tall claims made by the government for promoting startups, Nitin says, the banks made him run from one manager to another and never approved his loan. “I believe my demand of Rs 50-60 lakh loan without a collateral was the reason for my misery.”
After eight to nine months, he was finally given a CC of Rs 20 lakh. “I don’t consider it as a loan. I became a victim instead of becoming a beneficiary,” says Nitin.
In future, Nitin plans to venture into magnetic mobility and develop vehicles driven by magnet.
(This story is published in partnership with the MSME Ministry to showcase success stories of SMEs)
