Yogesh Sonar, a farmer from Chhattisgarh, created the Earth Elixir, an environmentally friendly and biodegradable product produced from tapioca and six other chemicals that helps farmers save water and enhance crop output.
Yogesh Sonar, a farmer from Durg, Chhattisgarh, is well aware of the problems that farmers in his state confront. As we speak on the phone, he expresses his concerns about farmer suicides, declining and deteriorating agricultural land, and farmers’ aversion to the field.
“Water scarcity causes drought, which leads to an ever-increasing financial burden, forcing them to resort to drastic measures.” Indeed, the government’s Niti Aayog study from 2019 shows that hundreds of farmers are leaving the industry,” Yogesh explains.
His knowledge of farmer’s hardships isn’t limited to observation; as a boy, he observed how a continuous water shortage impacted his father’s farming operations. “After Holi (March), the groundwater levels in our hamlet Dhamda dried up, and we struggled to find water for our crops until the monsoons,” he explains.
Yogesh decided to use his skills as a farmer to create environment-friendly solutions in 2014, while pursuing post-graduation in science. These solutions now provide relief to farmers across the country and abroad.
The Solution
According to him, his breakthrough organic water retention solution Earth Elixir saves up to 50% of a crop’s water requirement and enhances production by 20%.
“Tapioca and six other components make up the water retention formula. These chemicals’ combined effects enhance water retention capacity by 300 times. The technique reduces the need for regular irrigation by maintaining the needed soil moisture. “The potassium-based cellulose manufactured from an extract of the Katira plant helps boost soil productivity by balancing the carbon and nitrogen levels in the soil,” he explains, adding that the product is completely biodegradable.
According to the 32-year-old, he started working on the formula throughout his academic years and was successful in 2018.
“Under the National Agriculture Programme, I developed the product by incubating a firm called Nature Walls Biotech Pvt. Ltd. alongside Indira Gandhi National University.” On my farm, I experimented with it by growing brinjal, tomato, and other seasonal vegetables. “The crop quality was outstanding, especially in terms of fruit size and consistency,” he says.
However, he had trouble commercialising the device.
Yogesh claims that his product did not fall under the fertiliser category or any of the other agricultural department categories. “The agriculture department only gave me permission to list it as a production enhancer product in 2019.” He explains, “I started manufacturing and distributing it through a Bengaluru-based company.”
Yogesh’s product was initially supplied to farmers in Africa and Malaysia, he adds, adding that it was well-received in those nations and afterwards found a market in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and other countries. “With the exception of six countries, my products are sold all over India, assisting millions of farmers,” he continues.
He claims that overall sales have helped him turn over Rs 5 crores in the last two years.
Yogesh has also created 14 more items that help farmers improve their crops in a variety of ways. “I have a monopoly on eight of my items, and the rest are sold to other corporations who resell them under their own brand.” “Discussions are ongoing with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), which will assist me in improving the products and establishing a production facility,” he says.
However, for the time being, Yogesh is satisfied with his contribution, which supports the agricultural community. “I’m pleased with my newfound success,” he adds, adding that he plans to continue making a significant contribution to the community by studying new items.
