Chemical Fertilizer Manufacturer Goes Organic

Jayant Barve, a graduate in physics, a member of CSIR-NCL (Council of Industrial and Scientific Research- National Chemical Laboratory) and a professor at the Pune University was also an entrepreneur who manufactured and sold chemically produced fertilizers and pesticides.

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The Point of Self Realization

Having been in the filed of science, Barve was well aware of what all went into the pesticides and fertilizers, and what their impact would be in the long run but he was happy with his high sales and went on with it for several year. But one fine day, a farmer came up to him with a harsh demand. The farmer asked for a chemical that would kill the crows trying to eat the grapes from his farm as some of them had eaten it and ruined the remaining grapes right at the time of harvest season. Barve was surprised by this demand and it made him wonder what harm could a chemical strong enough to kill a bird do to the humans consuming it.

After this incident, Barve started shifting his knowledge towards producing organic manure in order to replace chemical fertilizers and #pesticides. Initially it was difficult for Barve as he had no practical knowledge of farming in the fields. So, he decided to start off by growing grapes on his barren ancestral land. He read books, met experts in Pune, and also practicing vermicompost methods. Barve also conducted out soil quality tests every six months to check bacterial content, changes in microbes and other elements like proportion of potassium and carbon, which are responsible for giving better characteristics to the soil. Soon his experiment started showing results and he realized that raw waste was the best way to enhance your soil fertility. His initially success with organic farming encouraged Barve to grow more than one crop in his land. He was soon growing pomegranate, chikoo, mango and banana among others.

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Once he realized the potential organic farming, Barve started working towards making some additions to the composting method so as to create a product that could potentially replace chemical fertilizers. Barve set up an in-house lab for research to ensure that a scientific approach to the purpose. He was soon able to shortlist fifteen organic ingredients that could be added to make manure. After carrying out trials and research for nine years, and successful results from his 30-acre organic farm, Barve was finally able to come up with his desired organic product. In 1991, he shut down his chemical fertilizers and pesticides manufacturing company to devote all his time to his new organic venture.

Initial failure and the Path to Success

In 1997, Barve started his new company Nature Care Fertilizers to introduce his organic manure in the market. But his product turned out to be a failure. At that point of time, farmers trusted chemical fertilizers and there was hardly any demand for organic manure. His company suffered heavy loses until 2006. By this time, farmers who relied heavily on chemical fertilizers were experiencing loss of soil fertility, and were looking for a solution to revive their soil quality. This when Barve’s organic manure came to their rescue. Soon his product started gaining popularity amongst the farmers, he even organized several meeting and awareness drives to spread the word and encourage farmers to practice organic farming methods. His manure became popular as it not only helped farmers to rejuvenate their soil quality but it required less water as well as it was cheaper than chemically produced fertilizers sold in the market.

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At present, Nature Care Fertilizers produces more than 60 tons of organic manure every day, as well bio pesticides from neem, karanj and other natural products. Today the demand for this organic manure is not only limited to India, but it is also imported by South African countries and Taiwan.

A Story of True Inspiration

Barve’s story is a true inspiration for everyone who is already working or thinking of getting in the field of organic farming. The time and research he put in to come up with his organic manure and his belief in his product, when it initially failed to achieve the desired success in the market is the perfect example of how one should not be discouraged with initial failures if they are honest with their work.

Tags: #chemical, #crop, #farmer, #farming, #fertilizer, #getgreen, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #manufacturer, #organic, #pesticides, #soil, #vermicompost