Introduction
From Maverick Technologies which served mostly PSUs to Bahuboli for the masses and now Xaj, targeting a global market, entrepreneur Akash Jyoti Gogoimakes it clear that innovation and quality are the two requisites to stay ahead in the race. In between producing the Bahuboli brand of eggs,which make up in small measure, Assam's huge shortfall in egg production and Xaj promoted as Assam's heritage beverage Thon Dhora, a biofertilizer has alsoemerged from layer chicken waste.Excerpts from an interview:
What is your educational and family background?
I was born in Kalam Hospital, Delhi as my father was working in the Indian Air Force. However, he took voluntary retirement and we returned to Assam where he joined the ONGC in Sivasagar. My first school was in Sivasagar and then we shifted to Jorhat where I completed my schooling from Jorhat Boys Govt HS and MP school. I passed the plus two from Jagannath Barooah College and then went for an engineering degree in Computer Science at Bangalore University, Bengaluru. After passing out from Bangalore University I worked in Bengaluru for about one and half years before returning to Assam. My father is Prafulla Kumar Gogoi and mother, DipaliGogoi. I have two siblings, an elder sister and a younger brother.
Why did you want to start a business and what was your first enterprise?
I wanted to start a business from a young age. At the time when I started out in 2002, being an entrepreneur was unheard of. Now it has become a much more common term for whoever starts a business. My first company, which I started with a partner, was Maverick Technologies which kicked off in 2002-03 after I came back to Assam from Bangalore and which I am still running. The company provides R&D solutions to engineering colleges, PSUs like Oil India Limited, ONGC and also to Assam Rifles and other such organisations by helping them set up laboratories and workshops.
You have ventured into the agro farming sector. How did this come about?
In 2014 I had visited Netherlands and Germany in a work-related context and came across many farms especially dairy and poultry where state of art machinery were being used in producing milk and eggs. Although the idea germinated then, I did not start anything immediately. In 2016-17 there were several reports in newspapers regarding how short Assam was in production of eggs, fish and milk and that most of these commodities had to be brought from outside to make up the shortfall. This was inspiring and I wondered whether we could not do the same in Assam. The idea took root and I began North East Agro Products and Services with the intention of producing eggs. I also visited states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to see how it was done there as these two states produce the maximum number of eggs in India. Thus, began my journey into the poultry farm business.
Tell us something about your poultry farm business.
The eggs are produced by layer hens unlike the meat which is produced by broiler chickens. The hens are kept in cages. I have two farmas, one at Karanga and the other at Jalukonibari in Jorhat district. Altogether I have about 90000 hens in both the farms and if the birds get sufficient protein and nutrition, they daily lay one egg each which means 90000 eggs in a day.Soon we will be producing more than a lakh eggs as I will be expanding the number to 120000 soon. Most of the eggs are sold in Jorhat, Dibrugarh,Sivasagar, Tezpur and Guwahati. Although we are planning to expand this is probably just a fraction of the number of eggs that the state requires. The government does not have any data regarding how many eggs are imported into the state. From our own assessment it is about 40 lakh and the poultry farmers in the state including me produce about 4 lakh which works out to about 10 per cent.
Why did you brand the eggs?
I thought of giving a brand name to the eggs which were produced by us as they were packed with protein and other nutrition.Bahuboli means heavyweight. The name Bahuboli struck me because these eggs were value added and it was hoped would give strength.We then stamped the eggs with the name, Bahubali, alongwith a motif.
Does North East Agro Products and Services produce anything else?
Yes, it does. We produce a bio fertilizer Thon Dhora which is 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than other biofertilisers available in Assam's market. The biofertilizer is made from chicken excreta in an innovative process. Usually, biofertilizers are sold raw in truckloads but we package it after drying it with the help of technology.
What are the challenges that you faced? How did you tide over theCovid 19 pandemic period?
The challenges are on a daily basis, the biggest being keeping the layers disease free. This is difficult due to the high humidity and heat in Assam from mid-May to October. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are also hot but not this humid. Here, even if the temperature is 37-38 degree Celsius it feels like 50 degrees. Luckily, we have not faced any outbreak till now.
Another big challenge is that in the egg production business there is no holiday, no respite. The chickens have to be fed daily, their coops cleaned out daily and this requires hundred per cent commitment.
The pandemic period was not difficult for us as the production and supply chain was not affected. Eggs, being an essential commodity sold in the market as other food items and there was no lag in sales., At the beginning we faced a bit of difficulty as regards the workers not being able to come to work due to government restrictions and protocol. Most of them lived in the vicinity of the farm but a few had to come from a distance and they could not come for work. But later there was an easing of restrictions and we did not face any problems.
How does the economics work out?
We are yet to make a profit but are hoping to do so by next year. We are still upscaling and investing back into the business whatever we get. We have bought several costly modern equipment and set up a chicken feed plant which is very costly. We are also expanding the business. The eggs we are selling in neighbouring districts and in Guwahati. Likewise, annually we produce about 2000 tonnes of the biofertilizer which has no chemicals at Rs 500 per 50 kg packet. This is sold in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland apart from Assam and has received a very good response from tea gardens and farms. As regardsemployees, we started out with 15 and now have about 100 employees for both the products.
What did you enjoy the most in this journey?
The best thing that I liked about poultry farming was coming into direct contact with consumers.In Maverick technologies we came into contact with clients like PSUs and the government. It was very satisfying to know that the people liked Bahuboli more than the eggs that were imported from outside. We got varied feedback from the consumersthat our eggs were bigger and fresher. The best one was from an NRI lady from Canada. She first visited our farm in 2018. In a later visit she told us that the best thing about our eggs was that the quality was constant. She also said that these were the only eggs in India that she could eat without salt and that they were like the ones got in some European countries and some other parts of the world. That is the best thing I have heard about Bahubali.
Have you ventured into any other business?
I have ventured into making Xaj which is the local rice wine made in Assam. All the different ethnic communities of this region have their own variety of rice wine, all of which have different qualities, characteristics and flavours and are made with slight variations. The Ahoms have XajPani, the Misings,Apong, the Bodos boast of Jou, Karbi's Hor, the Rabha's Chacko and so on. In fact all the north east states produce rice wine and it forms a part of their social and economic fabric Wanting to make rice wine on a commercial scale was anidea which first took shape in 2014-15. I had visited South Korea where they were selling Makgeolli, a commercial brand of rice wine made in their country and I found that it did not taste as good as the ones made in Assam. We approached Assam Agricultural University to develop a rice wine technology and then launched our own version of the brew in the market as Xaj. Xaj has a shelf life of about two years as we follow a filtration system which filters out all the impurities. It has between 12 to 13 per cent alcoholcontent as per government norms and has a unique smoky flavour infused with herbs which has received a good response in the market. I would like to make this as popular globally as Sake of Japan.
The XajPani served by the Ahoms plays an important part in their social life. It is served as a drink to please their forefathers and seek their and also during marriages, childbirth and funerals. It is the welcome drink served during the Bihu festivities or any other occasion of import. It could be said that is the heritage drink of the Ahom community and still an integral part of their lives
What awards have you got?
I have only got the Assam Gaurav award from the government of Assam in 2021. It carries a citation, a plaque and a Rs 3 lakh cash apart from some facilities. I have also received anaward and citation from Assam Agricultural University and from a few other organisations.
What are your future plans?
I would like to expand my poultry farm business to such an extent that I make Assam not only self sufficient in eggs but also all the north east states. Likewise, I would like to sell my bio fertilizer to all the neighbouring states apart from Assam. The upscaling of my enterprises will therefore be a continuous process.
What would you like to tell the present generation
I would like to tell the youth who want to start an enterprise to be very particular about returning the money they take from banks, friends and relatives. In Gujarat and in the Marwari community it is usually seen that the family finances a new business. In Assam, however, relatives, even if they are prosperous, do not feel like lending a helping hand because most often the money they shell out is not returned. In my case most of my funding came from bank loans or whatever money I had in hand. I did not take any government funding for startups or other benefits. My father was supportive but he was a serviceman and did not have that kind of money to finance North East Agro or my other ventures. Whatever I took from him I gave back and with interest (laughs). That he was my father did not mean that the money was mine and that Ineed not pay him back. The youth who receive money from friends or family to start a business should always give back what they are given. This will result in more people having confidence in the person and be open to giving more.
Another advise to the youth is to take risks if they have the confidence to make it good in the long run. It is seen that in Assam anyone who starts a business is averse to taking risks and give up easily if they face setbacks. They are happy to get back what they have invested and let go if they face losses in any year, But this should not be the case and they should plough on.
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