Guwahati: Chandan Borthakur from Sibsagar, Assam is slowly but surely making an impact as a social entrepreneur in the state. At present, the IT graduate is engaging 28,000 farmers across the Northeast Indian region and beyond. His motive is to promote farming and invite fresh talents to work with him in the sector. Business North East conducted an exclusive interview with Borthakur, the founder of Aprins Agro and Livelihood Private Limited.
Here are some excerpts:
Business North East: Tell us about your company Aprins Agro and Livelihood Private Limited and what led to its formation.
Chandan Borthakur: I started my organization in 2009 in Jorhat. In the ensuing 15 years, we have set up units in the entire Northeast, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. Outside Northeast, we have operations in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
BNE: What is social entrepreneurship and how did you enter this sector?
Borthakur: We registered our organization, Aprinis, as a non-governmental organization. I come from a joint family in Sivasagar. Since 2009, my only dream was that I have to become a social entrepreneur. I aimed to help generate a person's livelihood as much as possible. I mean to help him in a positive way. There are around 28,000 farmers in our project in Silchar who produce regular paddy. There are lots of varieties of rice in Silchar. But the marketing hasn't gone well till now. Our motive is to take it from production to the market.
BNE: Are you linked to FPCs and FPOs in the Northeast?
Borthakur: The Central Sector Scheme project in India aims to open Farmer Producers Companies (FPCs) in every block, targeting micro, medium, marginal, small, and marginal farmers. The scheme is a significant initiative of the Indian government. In Sibsagar, a project is underway in a Khelwa block, where ginger or mustard production is being conducted. The District Level Monitoring Committee (DLNC) meets with the chairman of the DC and the Agriculture department to instruct the FPCs to open in the block. The FPC scheme is primarily helping small and marginal farmers. There are around 70 FPCs in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, with one in Manipur working on fishery. The project is currently underway in around 70 blocks, with implementation partners NERAMAC (North East Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation), NECTAR (North East Centre For Technology Application & Reach), NAFED (National Agricultural Co-Operative Marketing Federation Of India Limited), and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC). The project is focusing on bringing dry fish to the market in Manipur.
BNE: What kind of livelihood your organization is generating and how can you help young talents with employment?
Borthakur: We have 70 FPCs, with positions like CEO and accountant. We propose that any MSW or law student with the willpower to work can join as an intern. The office has different divisions, such as PR, capacity building, FPC, and branding, ensuring a diverse team. I believe that social entrepreneurship is a booming industry due to climate change and mental health issues. I believe that if an employer can create at least 30 employees, the country's development can be achieved. I believe that addressing these issues will lead to significant growth in the social entrepreneurship industry. If an organization can achieve this, it will contribute to the country's overall growth. A graduate with experience in social entrepreneurship or agriculture is welcome to apply, regardless of their background, and their work in any field is also acceptable.
BNE: You are introducing smart classes in rural areas in Dibrugarh. Can you please elaborate more on this?
Borthakur: How can we teach students digitally? How can we do it in a different way? For example, we taught traffic control there. We taught the entire map of the Northeast. We put some videos in the cinema there. After that, we showed them the cinema, which helps them.
BNE: You have discussed your collaboration with NECTAR, NAFED and NERAMAC. Can you please elaborate on this?
Borthakur: The company has collaborated with Nectar on three projects: a honey project in Tezpur, a banana fiber industry in Mizoram, and a FPC project with NABARD. The company plans to combine these projects to produce banana fiber, banana stem, and fertilizer. They are also running 17-18 projects with Nafrit in Assam, Manipur, and are working with Arunachal Pradesh on FPC projects, such as NERAMAC and SFSC. The company is also working with NABARD on millets and plans to launch a millets brand. The company is committed to enhancing its operations in the banana industry.
BNE: Do you have any international collaborations?
Borthakur: Recently, we were invited to the Maimon Singh Chamber of Commerce in Bagladesh as a guest. So we had a tie-up with them. Bangladesh is the largest garment industry. So we had a tie-up with them on how to blend banana fiber and cotton to make a different type of shirt. So, already we have tied up with them, with Bangladesh.
BNE: So, looking at it, what do you think that your organization has brought a difference compared to other organizations in your sector?
Borthakur: I think 99% of the contribution of the farmers, which is part of the work. We can make a big brand in the coming years. If you look at my team, they have a different background. So you will see that someone is from IIT, NIT, and Agriculture. So that's why we feel that our organization can do a lot for farmers. We have around 30 employees in Guwahati. and we have offices in every state. So, let's say around 250 employees are directly working with us. We have around 400 employees and around 20,000 farmers are getting livelihoods.
BNE: What is the source of your revenue?
Borthakur: In the project of FPC, the Ministry of Agriculture does some funding. So, we took my team and equipped it. Basically, APRINIS is a non-government organization. In 2009, we registered in Jorhat. From 2009 to 2024, 28,000 farmers are working with us. We can say that 28,000 farmers' livelihoods are improving.
BNE: What are your plans for the future?
Borthakur: The main focus of the government of India is on natural farming. We have got 4 projects in natural farming and have registered 4 FPCs. So in the coming days, the youth entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs will have agriculture as a core. To raise the GDP, we will have to be engaged in agriculture. So I request the youth, the unemployed youth to come for farming. When they come to farming, they will be able to generate employment.
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