Alis Farmers Producer Company Limited

If you go to Sandalpur in the Patashpur block, you can find us in Room No. 01 at Mosebka’s place. We are the Alis Farmers Producer Company Limited. It’s a small operation. Most of the people involved are from the local villages around Dighadari. We live and work in East Midnapore, where the land is usually good for a couple of crops a year. We grow a lot of paddy and some oilseeds too. Farming is a gamble every year. You never know if the rains will be too much or too little. We got together because we saw that the big guys were getting all the deals. We figured if we formed a company, we could stand a bit taller. We aren't experts at marketing or anything like that. We just know how to plant and when to harvest. The office is just a place to keep the registers and have a tea while we talk about the crops. Sometimes the tractor breaks down and we all have to pitch in to fix it. That's just how it goes here. We don't have fancy titles. We are just farmers who decided to cooperate. It’s better than struggling by yourself. We keep things simple and try to make sure everyone gets their share of the profit when the harvest is sold. It’s just us, doing what we know best in our corner of West Bengal. It isn't easy, but we manage.