Grameswari Farmer Producer Company Limited

Grameswari Farmer Producer Company Limited is located in Antulia, Angul. Prafulla Kr. Pradhan is the one who handles the day-to-day stuff at the office. It’s a local operation, and we don’t pretend to be anything else. We started this because the farmers in Antulia needed a common place to bring their produce and talk about their problems. The building isn’t much to look at, but it serves its purpose. We have a lot of people coming in and out all day, mostly looking for advice or checking on their payments. We don’t have a professional cleaning crew or a fancy coffee machine. We just make tea on a small stove and sit on plastic chairs to discuss the business. Most of the work is just keeping track of who brought what and where it’s going. We have to deal with the local transport guys and try to make sure the trucks show up on time, which they rarely do. It’s a lot of waiting around and making phone calls. We don’t have any big corporate goals. We just want to make sure the farming around here stays viable for the next generation. It’s hard work and the margins are thin, but we’re all in it together. We’ve known each other for years, so the atmosphere is more like a big family than a formal company. We just do the work and hope for a good season.