Upjeevika Farmer Producer Company Limited

Khushal Santaram Dharamsare's house is where we started Upjeevika Farmer Producer Company Limited. It is Plot No 55 at Khedepar, in the Lakhani area of Bhandara. Since we are in Bhandara, a lot of what we do involves rice. The name Upjeevika is about our livelihood, but honestly, it’s just a lot of hard work every day. Khushal’s place is where we keep all the ledger books and the company stamps. It’s not a big operation. We have some plastic chairs and a lot of papers scattered around. Usually, there is someone coming by to complain about the price of seeds or the cost of the tractor. We try to listen to everyone, but it’s hard when there are so many of us. We aren't trying to be some big corporate entity. We just want to sell our stuff without losing money. The humidity in Bhandara can be really tough in the summer. We spend most of our time out in the paddies anyway. Coming into the office at Plot 55 is just something we do when we have to sign something or have a meeting. The meetings usually go on for too long because everyone has a different opinion. We don't have any fancy mission statements. We are just trying to make enough to keep going next year. That is the reality of it. It’s just us and the land.