Nerkkalanjiyam Collective Farming Farmer Producer Company Limited

If you find yourself in Kumbakonam, you can come find us over at Sarangapani East Street, right near the Madavilagam area. We are up on the third floor of number 4-1, 835. It’s a busy part of town with the temple nearby and lots of people moving about. This collective was started by farmers in the Thanjavur district who wanted to protect their livelihoods. Being in the 'rice bowl' of Tamil Nadu, we focus a lot on the traditional crops that have been grown here for generations. The name Nerkkalanjiyam actually refers to that storage of grain, which is exactly what we are about—keeping our harvests safe and making sure everyone gets their share. We have many members now, all coming from different small villages around Kumbakonam. Our office is where we do the accounts and hold our monthly meetings. It can get a bit crowded in that third-floor room when everyone shows up at once. There’s no elevator, so we all get our exercise walking up those stairs. We spend most of our time out in the fields, though, checking on the water levels and the growth of the paddy. It’s an honest way to make a living, even if the margins are thin sometimes. We just try to keep things simple and stick together as a community of growers. Sometimes the local bus is the best way to get here, even if it is always running late and gets stuck in the narrow streets.