Know How ‘Jolkuwori’ Is Offering Affordable Aquaculture Technologies And Uplifting Fish Farming in Assam

Yes, we are ‘Masbepari‘ and we are proud of it. I believe each Agripreuner must be proud of themselves as we are supporting the root of our economy. Forget about people, as in this society slavery is acceptable but leadership is still a taboo. Yah, you can Skip this interview and get back to your normal life or you can start something of your own that gives you mental peace and justifies your existence – Parth Goswami , co-founder Jolkuwori.

Partha Goswami,
Co-founder, Jolkuwori

Partha Goswami is one of the founding members of Jolkuwori – a company initially started by his father in Aquaculture field is now rebuilding itself as an Aquaculture startup training youths to become micro entrepreneurs. More and more farmers are taking up the business of fish farming through Jolkuwori to establish Bioflock fish farming in an affordable way leveraging technology. He speaks with Shrinkhol about their business, the scenario of start-up in Assam and his message for the upcoming entrepreneurs in the state. Some of edited excerpts from our interview:

What is your background and what prompted you to startup something in Aqua-culture field?
Partha : I’m from management background and during my MBA days I decided to pursue my career in entrepreneurship. Aquaculture is an emerging market where we need to introduce the product as it’s part of our daily life. We wanted to do business, but business with a purpose and Agri business is something where you earn money by helping farmers.

What is Jolkuwori currently engaged in and what is your company’s value proposition?
Partha : We are promoting modern aquaculture technologies including free bioflock training at an affordable price with proper expert guidance so that farmers can increase their earnings. Also there is a need for a proper stable market for end customers so we are basically producing best skilled farmers who can contribute quality end products. We are establishing ourselves as a one roof solution for aquaculture where you can contact for guidance, training, technologies and most importantly for an organized way of doing business.

How are you able to reach out to your target customers currently?
Partha : We are not promoting our company in any one platform specifically as we want to reach maximum farmers at ground level. Currently we are operating across NE and our primary source of revenue is technology transfer. We have some other sources like market linkage, training, feed, supporting seeds etc.

Fish farming set up under construction

Where is your current office located and who are a part of your team at Jolkuwori?
Partha : We are currently operating from Assam Startup nest office and within December 2020, we are planning to open another 6 outlets across Guwahati , Nalbari, Dubrugarh , Tezpur , Lakhimpur and Sivsagar.

What technologies are you currently deploying that are different or similar than others – in terms of Bioflock , multiple livestock rearing.
Partha : We are not introducing any new product but we are making the whole unorganized sector stable under a single umbrella. You can do Biofloc even without our support, but it’s not the product we are selling, it’s the relation that helps farmers to access the market at cost effective mode with better ROI. We are creating a community of modern farmers that helps each other to grow in the long term.

What is your current revenue stream and what plans do you have for future?
Partha : We have multiple revenue sources, and we are optimistic about our upcoming franchise model. You will see JOLKUWORI SOLUTION outlets in each district of Assam. We are also planning to launch several app-based services for fish auctions and other activities. We will announce it very soon.

Where did you generate your funds and what is your opinion on the need of funding for early stage startups? Did you get any grants or support from private or Govt agencies?
Partha : To be honest, We started from a 500 rupee note. It’s a myth that you need money to establish a brand, but yes we had to struggle for operating expenses. We had received grants from RKVY RAFAAR, we are incubated at IIM CIP and NEATEHUB,ASSAM AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY. So yes, these are some sources for funding.

An ongoing project set up of Jolkuwori

How can a newcomer in this field reach out to your organization for support ?
Partha : We are open to help budding entrepreneurs as it takes courage to start to venture but without proper expertise and skills you can’t even survive for a month. We’d love to share knowledge and we are always open for collaboration with new ideas, just you need to believe in yourself.

Do you see Assam’s current startup scene has been able to prompt youths to take up career in fish farming? What you envision as change from Govt as well as in the mindset of common people in this regard?

Partha :Yes we have endless opportunity in aquaculture sector and the start-up scenario in this field is very promising . Also, a lot of Govt agencies and Universities are joining hands to support both financially and with technology transfer. With the increase in population and demand it is impossible to fulfil the market with traditional ways of farming and for this we need to upgrade. I believe educated youth must take initiative and farming is one of the coolest professions where potential is endless.