A decade in the past, as Narendra Kumar Girwa scrolled via YouTube looking for movies on terrace farming, an inadvertent typo directed him to the intriguing world of pearl farming. This opportunity encounter piqued his curiosity.
Regardless of Rajasthan’s local weather and agricultural traditions centered on wheat, bajra (pearl millet), and jau (barley), Narendra noticed potential in cultivating pearls, which had a sturdy demand and profitable market charges in India.
Earlier than this sudden flip, Narendra’s life was steeped in uncertainty.
Raised in a middle-income household with 5 siblings in Kishangarh Renwal of Jaipur district, he had no land or agricultural background. After graduating, he opened a bookstore close to colleges and faculties — a chief location for his stationery enterprise.
For eight years, enterprise was good till his landlord requested him to vacate the store. “I used to be operating the bookstore for eight years in the identical location. Unexpectedly, my landlord requested me to vacate the premises. He needed to make means for his son to ascertain a enterprise in the identical spot. So, I needed to vacate the store. I took one other store on lease, about half a kilometre from the outdated location, however I wasn’t getting good clients there,” Narendra tells The Higher India.
Pressured right into a much less advantageous location, he struggled to draw clients, resulting in important monetary losses — amounting to Rs 4–5 lakh. The enterprise drained his financial savings, and regardless of his spouse’s assist via her earnings from stitching garments, their monetary well being deteriorated quickly.
Disheartened, Narendra discovered himself at a crossroads.
Remodeling setbacks into stepping stones
Whereas searching on-line for brand spanking new alternatives, his unintended discovery of pearl farming movies signalled a attainable escape from his monetary troubles. Intrigued, he started researching this unconventional farming observe completely. Though the concept appeared outlandish in Rajasthan’s dry local weather, many mocked his curiosity, together with his family.
“They feared the native land was unsuitable for such endeavours. Individuals additionally stated I’ve gone loopy,” he laughs.
Nonetheless, Narendra was decided to show in any other case.
A useful useful resource in his quest was the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Odisha. Right here, Narendra discovered the coaching he wanted to pursue his new ardour. For a charge of Rs 6,000, he realized the nuances of pearl farming over a five-day course and gained insights into the fragile technique of growing pearls inside mussels.
Geared up with new data and willpower, Narendra ventured into the world of pearl farming in 2015. He bought 500 mussels from Kerala and began freshwater pearl cultivation on this village.
His preliminary makes an attempt have been fraught with challenges, as Rajasthan’s local weather posed important obstacles, and a scarcity of native experience left him to navigate largely alone. Inside two weeks, his mussels began dying, one after the other. Out of his first batch of 500 mussels, solely 35 survived on account of unexpected points with ammonia ranges. “I had failed miserably,” he says with a sigh.
However Narendra was undeterred by failure. He recalibrated his technique, investing time in understanding pearl farming higher. Overcoming losses of Rs 50,000, he refined his strategies to enhance survival charges and mastered the artwork of sustaining exact pond circumstances.
After six months, he procured one other 500 mussels. Via persistent experimentation and adaptation, inside 18 months, his efforts began yielding promising outcomes. By working tirelessly to stability environmental circumstances inside his ponds, he achieved a 70 p.c survival fee among the many mussels.
His button-shaped pearls possessed a singular lustre that captivated the market. Promoting these pearls at Rs 300 every, his second batch produced a harvest of 700 pearls, incomes him a profitable earnings of Rs 2 lakh.
The success validated his dangerous enterprise and opened doorways to new prospects, solidifying his standing as a pioneering determine in Rajasthan’s nascent pearl farming business.
Narendra’s personal enterprise, now sprawling throughout 300 sq. toes with 3000 mussels, serves as a shining instance of success. Producing 5000 pearls per cycle, he income upwards of Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh over 18 months. His pearls are bought via Amazon and retail markets, whereas his foray into pearl-based jewelry additional diversifies his earnings.
As phrase unfold of Narendra’s success, so did alternatives to coach and encourage others. Recognising an opportunity to assist fellow farmers, he started providing coaching periods. As of now, he has educated over 200 people from neighbouring states — Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Charging Rs 4,000 for two-day workshops, he offered complete coaching and steady assist and fostered a nascent neighborhood of pearl farmers.
Jodhpur’s Aditya Kachawa underwent coaching with Narendra final February. Reflecting on his expertise, he shares, “The coaching offered detailed explanations in a wonderful method. The very best half is that Narendra ji is extremely useful and at all times out there to reply questions via any mode of communication.”
He continues, “I handle a number of farming tasks, together with a nursery and mushroom cultivation, and had some unused land. I needed to take advantage of it, so I presently have 1,000 pearl mussels in my cemented pond. Even after the coaching, Narendra supplied ongoing assist to assist me set up my pearl enterprise.”
Regardless of invites to share his experience globally — from Dubai to Bhutan and London — Narendra stayed centered on native impression, even helping pearl pond setups overseas, reminiscent of in Nepal.
Secrets and techniques to freshwater pearl farming
For these impressed by Narendra’s journey, he advocates a step-by-step strategy to pearl farming.
1. Supply good high quality mussels from famend distributors. About 10 p.c of losses are estimated throughout transportation. To maintain mussels wholesome throughout transportation, just remember to preserve them in a moist jute sack. Because it takes two to 3 days for transportation, sprinkle water on the duvet when it begins drying up.
2. Farmers can begin by first establishing a ten×15-foot pond. This space is appropriate to carry 1,000 mussels. Even these missing massive land plots can succeed by establishing smaller ponds on the terraces of their properties.
3. Narendra emphasises sustaining zero ammonia ranges. This may be achieved by deploying motors of water coolers that rotate water within the pond. Use the motor for 2 to 3 hours day by day.
4. Understanding Rajasthan’s distinctive local weather, Narendra digs his ponds 5 toes deep to control temperature, guaranteeing mussels thrive, even in the summertime warmth. He advises sustaining a temperature between 10 and 30 levels. By leveraging inexperienced shades, he maintains important temperature stability, facilitating productive harvests from October to March.
5. Underneath optimum circumstances, with a 70 p.c mussel survival fee, farmers can earn as much as Rs 4 lakh from 1,400 pearls. Narendra additionally advises turning shell waste into handicraft gadgets to earn an additional earnings.
Edited by Megha Chowdhury; All photographs courtesy Narendra Girwa
