Kansai Kumari Farmers Producer Company

We are a group of farmers from around Janara village in Purulia. The company is called Kansai Kumari Farmers Producer Company, and we operate out of a small place near Bamni. Jaladhar Mahato’s place is where we usually gather to talk about the work. It is a very local thing. We all know each other from the village and have worked the land for years. Farming in this part of West Bengal is not always easy, the soil can be tricky and the rain does not always come when you want it to. We decided to put this company together so we could handle things better as a group. We do not have any big corporate goals. We just want to make sure we can sell what we grow for a fair price. Most days you will find us out in the fields or sitting around the P.O. area talking shop. There is a lot of paperwork that comes with being a formal company, which none of us really likes, but we manage. My neighbor helps with the filing and I do the talking with the banks. It is a community effort, really. We have kids to feed and homes to keep up, so we work hard at it. Purulia is a beautiful place, even if it is a bit dry. We have been here our whole lives and this company is just an extension of what our families have been doing for generations. We just take things one day at a time.