Success Story: Nowadays, who wants to leave the glamor of the cities and return to the village to work? But 24 year old Prince Shukla left his job in Bengaluru and started his work in the village. In the beginning, people even called Prince an idiot, but today the same people ask him for advice. Prince not only changed the lives of lakhs of farmers with his agri-startup Egret, but also created an annual turnover of Rs 2.5 crore.
Giving up his dream of going abroad during Covid, he chose farming in the village and today he is a partner with big companies like ITC, Parle. Prince was born in a small village in Purnia district of Bihar. Since childhood, I saw a farming environment, but my father was a doctor, so he insisted on studies.
Plan was to do masters abroad
After completing B.Sc. Agriculture, Prince went to Bengaluru. Got a good job there, where the salary was also decent. But the mind always remembers the soil of the village. According to media reports, Prince says that in his childhood he saw that farmers remain in loss despite good seeds, fertilizers and methods. Living in the city, he felt that something had to be done for this. Then came the Covid era. Everything stopped during the lockdown, Prince also returned home. There was a plan to do Masters abroad, but the pandemic changed everything. After coming home, he saw how much trouble the farmers of the village were in. Here seeds are expensive, fertilizers are fake and equipment is old. The Prince decided and was determined to give a new look to farming.
The beginning was full of difficulties. Also borrowed Rs 71 lakh from the family. According to an Instagram reel, Prince himself says that he actually laid the foundation of Egret with just Rs 1 lakh. Egret means short form of Agricultural Great. He started this business from a small room itself. Earlier his company’s work was to supply quality seeds, organic fertilizers and modern tools. But the Prince knew that nothing would be achieved by merely selling goods.
Gave training to farmers
He started training small farmers. Like how farmers should sow seeds, how to save water, how to do organic farming, he taught all this.” Prince traveled from village to village and connected more than 10 thousand farmers. Used technology through video calls, workshops, apps. The farmers themselves mentioned that because of Prince’s teaching, their crops had doubled and there were no losses.
People made fun of him initially. Relatives even started saying that you have left your job, will you become a fool now? While talking about this in a media interview, Prince said – ,People used to call me boorish… when I chose farming. But I did not listen. Gradually the work increased. Egret not only strengthened the supply chain but also provided market links to the farmers. ,
turnover of 2.5 crores
Today the company is doing an annual turnover of Rs 2.5 crore. Starting from Purnia, it spread to many districts of Bihar. Prince’s hard work bore fruit when big companies also gave him offers. They have partnered with giants like ITC, Parle, Nestle, Egret now supplies organic products to them. Prince believes that he is not just growing crops, he is growing change. If farmers become strong then villages will become strong and Bihar will become strong.
Prince’s story is an example for the youth of Bihar. Today, at the age of 24, he is not only running a business worth crores, but is also giving new life to thousands of families. Prince now inspires the youth, he always believed that farming is not a backward job, if done smartly then it is the future. Even today the Prince himself roams around in the fields of Purnia and talks to the farmers. The same fields which were once a source of loss are now a source of income. Prince’s success has brought new energy to the village. Boys and girls are now considering farming as a career. Egret’s team is growing, work on new projects is going on. Prince’s dream is to make entire Bihar an organic hub.
Prince’s business is proving that even a village can become Silicon Valley if one has the courage. Youth like Prince Shukla are an example of change.
