This Class 12 Dropout Left His Family’s Gold Business for Farming; Built YouTube Channel ‘Indian Farmer,’ Now Earns ₹25 Lakh Annually

In 2012, when Class 12 dropout Santosh Jadhav decided to return to his village, Majale Karve in Maharashtra, to take up farming, backlash from his family was expected.

He had left the family-owned gold business in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where he had been working since 2011 after dropping out of school.

For his family, the decision felt like stepping down from a “superfast express” to a “passenger train.”

They feared the social stigma often attached to farming in India, where farmers are perceived to struggle with marriage prospects, as many families believe that brides prefer an urban lifestyle over village life.

“In our villages, young men earn Rs. 1.5 lakh a month, but still struggle to find brides, simply because society values a city job over a wealthy farm. We wanted to prove that a farmer’s life isn’t a compromise; it’s a privilege,” Santosh tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

But Santosh was determined to prove them wrong. He spent the first few years (between 2012 and 2016) travelling across Maharashtra on his bike, meeting successful farmers and taking notes on everything he saw.

During these trips, he spotted a clear gap. Most farmers were simply copying their neighbours or sticking to old traditions because they had no one to guide them.

There were no proper books, and at the time, the internet had almost no information on practical farming.

He realised that the problem was the lack of the right knowledge.

That’s when he teamed up with his childhood friend, Akash Jadhav, a mechanical engineer by profession.

In 2018, they launched the “Indian Farmer” YouTube channel with a simple goal: to teach farmers modern techniques in simple language.

Today, Santosh and Akash have built a community of over 11 million followers and earn around Rs. 25 lakh a year through organic farming. Santosh now uses drones that can spray an acre of land in just 10 minutes, a task that used to take a labourer five hours.

About the Indian Farmer Founder, Santosh Jadhav

Born into a family of goldsmiths in Maharashtra, Santosh Jadhav was expected to join the ancestral business, but he found the work frustrating. 

As a child, he frequently roamed the village with his grandfather, observing the cultivation of various crops such as sugarcane, grapes, apples, etc., which sparked an ambition to become a farmer. 

He grew up with that dream, and after finishing Class 12, he asked his family if he could pursue a B.Sc. in Agriculture course to pursue his passion to become a farmer.

However, he received a denial from them. Instead, he was sent to Prayagraj to work in the gold mine. 

But sitting in front of a hot furnace all day made him feel suffocated. He craved returning home as soon as possible, as he thought that the city’s environment was unsuitable for him.

In 2012, he took a risk and returned to his village to build something of his own. His family and neighbours warned him that he was making a grave mistake, but unafraid of uncertainty, Santosh chose to follow the path he had envisioned since childhood - farming.

The Initial Journey of Santosh Jadhav after Coming Back Home

When Santosh returned to his village in 2012, he was determined to transform the perception of farming. 

In 2016, he told his family he had already secured a 50% government subsidy to build a modern greenhouse (polyhouse).

He explained that the government would pay for half the cost, reducing the risk. Seeing this, his family finally agreed to lend him Rs. 10 lakh. 

This allowed him to stop growing basic crops and start experimenting with expensive ones like coloured capsicum and cucumbers.

Although he successfully grew these vegetables, selling them turned into a major challenge. When he took his produce to Mumbai to sell, he discovered how middlemen controlled the prices, leaving farmers with no control over their earnings.

During this difficult phase, his childhood friend Akash Jadhav, a mechanical engineer, began visiting the farm regularly. Akash asked countless questions. Why was this method used? What was the reasoning behind that approach?

"My friend Akash, an engineer, asked me questions about farming that even I hadn't thought about. We realised that if an educated person had so many doubts, the average farmer must be completely lost. That was the spark for Indian Farmer,” the founder says.

In June 2018, they decided to take action themselves and launched the "Indian Farmer" YouTube channel. 

They had no sophisticated equipment, only a basic smartphone and a shared motorcycle. Santosh would work on the farm in the morning, they filmed videos in the afternoon heat, edited them late into the night, and posted on the following day. 

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About the Indian Farmer Organic Farm

Santosh operates on 11 acres of ancestral land that has been in his family for generations, but when he decided to take farming seriously around 2018, he realised that relying solely on the soil wouldn't be enough. 

He combined his borrowed money with a 50% government subsidy to construct a half-acre polyhouse, a type of greenhouse that allows him to grow high-value crops in a controlled environment, safe from unpredictable weather and pests.

He divided his land strategically to ensure he had a harvest to sell all year round. Out of 11 acres of land, 3 acres are dedicated to sugarcane, which serves as his steady, reliable crop, while 1.5 acres are set aside for grapes grown specifically for export. 

He also uses 2 acres of land for seasonal tomatoes, 1 acre for capsicum (bell peppers), and 1 acre for cucumbers. 

Smartly, he keeps about 3 to 4 acres empty or in rotation at any given time, giving the land a necessary "rest" to recover nutrients and keep the soil healthy for the long term.

Production Capacity and Annual Profit

In a typical season, which usually lasts about five months, he harvests around 70 to 80 tons of sugarcane per acre. The venture produces 35 to 40 tons of tomatoes, 25 to 30 tons of capsicum, and 20 to 25 tons of cucumber, ensuring a high volume of produce for the market.

Santosh has completely moved away from the old "spray and pray" method of cultivation, replacing manual labour with high-tech efficiency. He uses drones to spray pesticides, a task that used to take a labourer five hours and 200 litres of water but now takes just 10 minutes and 20 litres. 

Beyond speed, he uses IoT sensors buried in the soil to monitor moisture levels and AI-driven apps on his smartphone that can detect early signs of disease just by scanning a photo of a leaf.

He follows strict international standards, practising "residue-free" farming. This means his produce is tested in a lab to ensure there are absolutely no harmful chemical traces left on the fruit before it is exported. 

By organising his farm with this level of discipline and technology, Santosh generates an annual revenue of around Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh a year from selling crops.

The Real Struggle: Selling Produce at a Good Rate

Even with drones, data, and modern tools, Santosh openly admits that farming in India remains a tough game. The real challenge is not growing the crop, it is selling it.

According to him, the market is still messy and poorly organised. Farmers have little control over prices and are often forced to depend on middlemen, or dalals, who take away a significant share of their earnings.

Santosh did try to change this. He made an effort to bring nearby farmers together and form a Farmer-Producer Company so they could sell directly to large buyers and retain better profits, but the attempt did not succeed.

However, the problem was trust. Most farmers were hesitant to take risks together. Santosh observed that unity was the missing link.

He also highlights the gap between the popular idea of "Farm to Fork" and the ground reality. Many large delivery platforms prefer sourcing from the cheapest suppliers to cut costs, rather than paying a fair price for quality produce from farmers like him. 

For now, selling in bulk through the traditional market remains his only practical option.

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Distribution Channel and Customer Base

Santosh sells his produce (except grapes) directly to large government wholesale markets and kisaan bazaars, or mandis, where traders usually buy the full stock quickly. 

Grapesare of premium quality, so he does not sell them locally. They are sold to exporters who ship them to supermarkets in Europe.

Santosh says he would prefer selling directly to delivery platforms like Blinkit or Zepto, but these companies mostly buy from wholesale markets to get cheaper rates. So for now, the traditional market works best for him.

Making Agriculture Tech-Driven

Santosh gets annoyed when people think farming is “boring” or “old-fashioned.” To him, his farm is just as high-tech as any modern office. He believes that to make money in farming today, one has to start using technology.

"People think farming is boring or old-fashioned, but my farm is just as high-tech as any modern office. If you want to make money in agriculture today, you have to stop guessing and start using technology," the founder of the Indian Farmer tells Startup Pedia.

Earlier, if a crop turned yellow or appeared unhealthy, farmers would rely on guesswork, and often guess wrong. Santosh now uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address this problem.

He has apps on his phone that function like a doctor. By simply clicking a photo of a diseased leaf, the app scans it and identifies the exact problem along with the appropriate treatment.

Also Read: This 27-YO GenZ from Goa Turns 25-Acre of Barren Land into Organic Farm, now Inspires Students through Agrotourism, Clocks ₹2 Crore Annually

Farmer’s Appeal to PM Narendra Modi

Santosh has a much bigger idea for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of asking for loan waivers or free electricity. He suggests creating a “one crop, one industry” model.

Santosh believes the government makes a mistake by treating agriculture as one big, messy group. He argues that growing rice is completely different from growing tomatoes, just like making cars is different from making software. You can't have the same rules for both.

He wants the government to treat every major crop like its own separate industry.

• Create a specific "Rice Industry" with its own budget and policies.

• Create a "Tomato Industry" that focuses only on tomato farmers.

Right now, Santosh grows super-clean, chemical-free grapes for people in Europe because they demand safety. But he asks a tough question: Why don't we demand the same for our own children?

He wants the Prime Minister to help make residue-free (chemical-free) farming the standard in India.

"I dream that one day, every vegetable sold in an Indian market will carry a QR code. You should be able to scan it and know exactly who grew it and that it is safe to eat, no poison, no secrets," Santosh tells Startup Pedia.

Future Goals

The primary aim of Santosh Jadhav is to transform the perception of agriculture into a dignified and viable career path, ensuring it appeals to the younger generation who currently view it as a secondary option.

To scale the dissemination of knowledge, the founders intend to establish a decentralised network of content creators across every village. 

This collaborative approach ensures that localised, soil-specific agricultural expertise spreads faster and more effectively than centralised government schemes.

"I can't teach everyone alone. My goal is to see a content creator in every village, a local expert sharing knowledge about their specific soil and problems. That is how we will change Indian agriculture," he says.

Furthermore, they are working toward making "Residue-Free" farming the standard for the domestic market. 

The goal is to eliminate the double standard of food safety, ensuring that Indian consumers have access to the same chemical-free, traceable produce that is currently reserved for international export.

"I grow chemical-free, lab-tested grapes for Europe because they demand safety. But why don't we demand the same for our own children in India? Why should safe food be a luxury for foreigners?" Santosh concluded.

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