CAPF Officer Quits Dream Job To Take Up Farming, Aims To Create Employment For Rural Youth

A Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) officer left his dream job to enter farming. He cultivates white sandalwood and black turmeric in his village after leaving the central government job with an aim to create employment opportunities for rural youth.

Utkrisht Pandey came from Uttar Pradesh and stepped out of his Assitant Commandant job in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) of CAPF. After leaving his dream job in 2016, he started his company, Marcelone Agrofarm, in Pratapgarh, around 200 km from the capital city of Lucknow.

Left Dream Job For His Village's Development

While recalling his days in the CAPF, he mentioned that it was his dream to join the forces as it allowed him to work in different states, including Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar. While working, he always thought of his village and its development.

He said, "While doing my job, I always thought that I should do something for my village to help them and improve their living standards, and I was of the view that plantation of crops will help me in that. I also want the youth to help the country become self-reliant," The Print reported.

After quitting his job in 2016, he discovered sustainable farming of black turmeric and white sandalwood as the best suitable career option. He added that while starting his business, everyone warned him that sandalwood is grown in Southern states of India and not in northern parts, especially in UP.

Despite all odds, he started studying in-depth about its cultivation process. He completed his research studies at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru. After the course completion, he garnered a lot of confidence in executing sandalwood farming in his village.

Beginning Of New Era For Retired Officer

The retired officer started the cultivation on his four-acre parental farmland and visited nearby villages and universities to understand the fundamentals of sandalwood cultivation. Usually, sandalwood cultivation takes 14-15 years to complete. After learning the benefits, the people of his village started joining the officer's hands. Many villagers are now part of his company, and several rural youths are employed.

The former CAPF officer claimed that a farmer could make over ₹2 crores from nearly 250 trees once fully grown in 14-15 years. On the other hand, black turmeric can make ₹1,000 per Kg in the domestic market.

The officer is now on a mission to meet the massive demand for white sandalwood and black turmeric in the domestic market. He is also helping the local farmers secure their future by promoting organic farming.

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