Basumata Organic Producer Company Limited

Our company, Basumata Organic, is based in Chahaka village within the Golamunda block of Kalahandi. We are right near Utkela. Basumata is what we call the earth, and we try to treat it with some respect. We are a producer company, which is just a fancy way of saying we are a cooperative of local farmers. We were tired of the middle-men taking all the profit, so we started this to handle things ourselves. It’s not a polished operation. Our office is just a place to stack bags and keep the books. We spend most of our time out in the fields around Golamunda. The sun is hot here and the work is exhausting. We use cow dung and natural waste for our fields instead of the stuff you buy in plastic bags. It smells a bit, but the plants seem to like it. We have meetings once a month to decide what to plant next. Sometimes we argue about it, but in the end, we are all friends and neighbors. We don't have a lot of money for advertising. We just rely on people knowing that our stuff is grown honestly. It’s a tough life being a farmer in Kalahandi, but being together makes it a bit easier. We are just regular people trying to keep our traditions alive while making a bit of a living from the land.