She sold her family’s car to start a farmer-producer company

Working as a supervisor to support her family, Reshamdevi Mallick faced many hurdles – some due to the choice of her life partner – but gained enough confidence to sell her family’s car and start a farmer-producing company.

"When the pandemic showed no signs of letting up, my life partner Rajesh Mallick and I shed sweat and tears to set up Greenflag Farmer Producer Company Limited. Our hard work paid off when we had a turnover of Rs 50 lakh in the very first year. 

"But a long spell of turmoil had preceded that.

"I met Rajesh in 2004 when I was a class-12 student. He used to visit his sister in the hostel where I was also staying.

"We wanted to tie the knot. But our parents opposed it since we belong to different religions. When we couldn’t convince them, we decided to live together without getting married.

"When we went to Rajesh’s native place Siaro, a village in Puri district, his parents didn’t slam the door on our faces. But they were not welcoming either. 

"I wanted to continue my studies, but the rough situation at home derailed it.

"Unable to bear the antagonistic atmosphere after a point of time, Rajesh and I, along with our one-year-old son, left Siaro in a sports utility vehicle he owned. 

"We went to Daringbadi. My parents had mellowed by then and gave us space in their house. 

"Fortunately, I got a job as a supervisor in the People’s Rural Education Movement (PREM), an NGO, for a monthly salary of Rs 3,500. 

"Rajesh started driving tourists around in his car and earned Rs 10,000 to 12,000 every month.

"I felt uncomfortable staying at my parents’ house. My mother, an anganwadi worker, was the sole breadwinner of my maternal family of six. My father had become invalid in an accident two decades ago. But I had no option.

"In 2011 I went for a one-month training at PREM’s research station at Mannuthy in Kerala. I got to interact with farmers and agricultural experts, which fuelled my desire to do something on my own.   

"Misfortune struck after I returned from my training. I met with an accident when I was out on official work. I was expecting my second child. Fortunately, the baby didn’t suffer any harm. 

"But my medical expenses drained our meagre savings, though PREM met a major part of it. We managed with Rajesh’s income and some small panchayat contracts. 

"Then Rajesh and I built our two-room thatched roof house with our own hands, without hiring any workers. We have now renovated and expanded it into a four-room structure.

"Rajesh and I had always wanted to do something of our own. One day we sold his vehicle for Rs 80,000 and invested the money to set up Greenflag Farmer Producer Company Limited (GFPCL) in 2021. With 10 farmers, GFPCL started its business handling 15 agricultural products. 

"Naysayers predicted that GFPCL wouldn’t survive, because of the wrong timing. 

"But with our determination, we converted the no-win situation into a win-win for us and the farmers. We have not availed of any government assistance but managed with private institutional loans.

"Now there are 100 farmers in the group and we deal in over 70 products, including different types of rice, ginger, garlic, yellow and black turmeric, and vegetables. In four years, I plan to get 50,000 farmers from 10 districts enlisted and to deal in 250 products." 

(This story has been provided by Village Square and is part of a special collaboration to highlight women-centric stories from rural India.)