Nutrition Warriors | Meet MBA Subziwallah Who Is Turning Bihar Into India's Vegetable Capital

Many villages in Bihar stopped cultivation of chana (gram) four decades ago. They have resumed it now. In Nawada and East Champaran districts alone, more than 9,000 farmers began growing pulses again three years ago, thanks to Kaushlendra, a 39-year-old who had shot to fame as 바카라�MBA subziwallah바카라� about a decade ago. 바카라�Local farmers thought they were better off cultivating only paddy and wheat, but we made them aware of how growing protein-rich pulses could also help fight off the menace of protein malnutrition.바카라�

Kaushlendra has come a long way since he revolutionised the way vegetables were sold in customised pushcarts. When his parents took a loan of Rs 5 lakh for his management course at IIM-Ahmedabad, they hoped he would settle down with a cushy job with a multinational. But his heart was set on something else: turning Bihar into India바카라�s vegetable capital and creating job opportunities for unskilled people at the grassroots.

A native of Ekangarsarai in Nalanda district, he set up a farmers바카라� cooperative after graduating from IIM-A in 2007. He procured fresh, organic vegetables directly from farmers and sold them in ice-cooled dirigible carts in various districts. Having started with only 5 kg of vegetables, the cooperative had a turnover of Rs 2.5 crore in three years. 바카라�All that Bihar바카라�s farmers needed were proper marketing avenues,바카라� says Kaushlendra, who once believed Bihar and Uttar Pradesh could become India바카라�s growth engines due to their agriculture potential. But the entry of malls in the retail sector posed a challenge. 바카라�As educated urbanites, our main clients, shifted to malls, we diversified into other crops such as pulses,바카라� he says. 바카라�We exited from the retail business in vegetables, except at a few small centres. We have now become an aggregator, and provide know-how and other support to local entrepreneurs in setting up their vegetable business on our model.바카라�

His foundation also trains volunteers, called Climate Commandos, at the panchayat level to create awareness on environment-friendly farming. 바카라�Farmers are the biggest victims of climate change. The recent onion crisis was a result of ecological imbalances catching the farmers off guard. We are trying to prepare them for such situations,바카라� he says.

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