This Lady Rejected an Infosys Offer Because of Her In-Laws, Lost Her Pomegranate Crops, Now Built an Integrated Farm; Clocks ₹40L Annually

Born and raised in the Dharwad district of Karnataka, Kavita Mishra never imagined that she would take up agriculture as a full-time profession after her marriage in 1996.

She completed a diploma in Computer Science and got a software engineer job offer at Infosys in 1998.

However, she had to decline it due to pressure from her in-laws, as married women in the family weren’t permitted to work outside the home.

Seeing that she was heartbroken by this decision, Kavita’s husband, Umashankar Mishra, encouraged her to build something of her own.

In the same year (1998), she began cultivating pomegranates on her husband’s ancestral 8-acre land, as the crop requires dry conditions to grow, and the region, Kavithal village, Manvi taluk, in the Raichur district of Karnataka, faced severe water scarcity. 

However, the crop was soon affected by a bacterial disease that destroyed it completely. Later, a consultant advised her to shift to integrated farming.

“I faced failure with the pomegranate crop. That is when I realised that monocropping is always dangerous compared to multi-cropping. When the consultant told me I had to remove the trees due to disease, I thought to myself, ‘After 10 years, my children will ask me what I achieved in all these days,’” Kavita Mishra tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

“I had been trying for five to eight years, yet I was back to a plain piece of land. That realisation led me to switch to healthy, integrated cropping,” she added.

Today, Kavita operates her venture, Kavita Mishra Sandal Farm, under which she practices integrated farming that includes plant nursery, horticulture, sandalwood cultivation, and animal husbandry.

Over the years, her work has earned her several prestigious recognitions. She was recently conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the Governor of Karnataka through Shrikrishna Devaraya University. She has also received the Shivkumarsree Sidaganga Award from Sidaganga Mutt, Tumkur.

About the Owner of Kavita Mishra Sandal Farm, Kavita Mishra

Coming from a middle-class orthodox Kannadiga family, Kavita Mishra got married early, while she was still a student. Over the next few years (1996–1999), she completed her education, earning a diploma in Computer Science from Karnataka University. 

After finishing her studies, she received a prestigious job offer from Infosys for a software engineer role. However, she did not receive permission from her in-laws to pursue a job outside the home. 

Her husband encouraged her to stay in their village, Kavithal, and develop their ancestral land. The land was completely barren, rocky, and hilly, making it impossible to cultivate even half a kilogram of bajra. (quote)

The land was uneven and infertile, with severe water scarcity, only about 1.5 inches of water available, and extremely high temperatures exceeding 40°C.

"When I started, the land was rocky and barren. My husband and I would work from noon until 3 AM, manually clearing stones because we had a restricted budget and couldn't afford much labour," Kavita tells Startup Pedia.

Kavita’s Initial Journey in Farming and Challenges She Faced

Kavita’s farming journey began between 2000 and 2005, a period she describes as an “exile.” During these years, she and her husband worked tirelessly, often from early morning until 6 PM, to manually convert the barren, rocky land into cultivable soil.

They faced severe financial difficulties and social isolation, as even relatives distanced themselves. To fund basic infrastructure like borewells, Kavita sold her wedding jewellery.

Financially, she began with around Rs. 50,000 in personal savings and took a Rs. 3-4 lakh bank loan between 2005 and 2012 for land levelling and borewell installation.

By 2005, after years of intense physical and emotional struggle, the land was finally ready, and she planted her first crop, pomegranates.

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Pomegranate Crop Failure

After years of hard work clearing the rocky land, Kavita planted her first pomegranates in 2006, as it suited the dry and water-scarce conditions of Raichur.

For the next few years, the crop performed well. She harvested 4-5 good cycles and earned strong revenue, around 1-2 lakh per cycle.

However, around 2011-2012, the entire orchard was hit by Bacterial Blight, a serious disease in pomegranates. Consultants advised her to uproot all the trees, as there was no cure.

After nearly eight years of effort, she was once again left with an empty field.

Transition to Integrated Farming and About Her Farm

Devastated by her initial failure, Kavita chose not to give up but to completely change her strategy. Realising that the dry climate of her region was best suited for sandalwood cultivation, she shifted to an integrated farming model.

Today, sandalwood is the core asset of her farm. Approximately 2,580 trees have been planted, spaced strategically with host plants in between to allow tractor movement and proper growth. 

By 2027, each tree is expected to produce 10–15 kg of heartwood, currently priced between Rs. 10,000-20,000 per kg. 

"Sandalwood doesn't grow alone; it is a social tree that needs a host. If we just sit and watch it for 15 years, we won't survive. We need a system where the host plants also feed our families," Kavita tells Startup Pedia.

She estimates potential returns of Rs. 5–6 crores per acre. She has secured a formal agreement with Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) for the sale of sandalwood and red sanders. 

Due to the high risk of theft, she has installed microchip-based e-protection in the trees, which alerts the nearest police station and her when someone enters the farm and attempts to steal

To generate a steady income while the timber matures, Kavita built a strong horticulture layer. She planted 1,200 Kesar mango trees, 600 guava, 600 custard apple, 120 amla, 180 jamun, and 200 tamarind trees as host plants for sandalwood. 

Her farm has also experimented with coconut, drumstick, lemon, curry leaves, jasmine, sweet lime, sapota, banana, coffee, pepper, and turmeric, creating a biodiversity-rich ecosystem. 

She also owns over 300 sheep, along with desi cows, buffaloes, and poultry. She has created a self-sustaining system where animals naturally control weeds and produce organic manure, along with value-added products such as buttermilk, ghee, milk, and curd, reducing input costs significantly.

This diversified model generates approximately Rs. 40 lakhs annually.

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Kavita’s Beliefs

Kavita believes a farm should be managed like a multinational company, where every square foot has rental value and must generate revenue. 

She primarily employs rural women, describing them as “as accurate as CCTV cameras,” and allows them to work independently and earn.

"Women on the farm are like CCTV cameras; they are accurate, consistent, and very punctual. They may not be educated, but they are incredibly talented at resource management," she says.

Her vision is to see farmers become wealthy and respected, driving luxury cars like BMWs and speaking in crores, rather than being perceived as poor or powerless.

Business Model and Distribution Channels

The business model is based on two ideas: reducing farming costs and creating multiple sources of income. Instead of depending on one crop (sandalwood), she built a four-layer system that facilitates a consistent income flow.

To cut costs, she uses manure from her 300+ sheep, cows, and buffaloes as organic fertiliser and lets the sheep naturally clear weeds, creating a self-sustaining system. 

The venture sells its products through a D2C model, supplying produce directly to customers in Bengaluru and nearby areas.

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Pricing and Annual Revenue

Kavita Mishra’s farm currently generates around Rs. 40 lakhs per year in recurring revenue. From horticulture alone, she earns approximately Rs. 22–25 lakhs per year. 

For instance, the mango production of around 3,500 kg sold at an average of Rs. 70 per kg brings in nearly Rs. 2.45 lakhs. 

Guava (about 4,500 kg at Rs. 50 per kg) adds roughly Rs. 2.25 lakhs, while custard apple (3,500 kg at Rs. 80 per kg) contributes around Rs. 2.8 lakhs. 

Amla, sold as a value-added processed product at nearly Rs. 150 per kg (around 2,000 kg annually), generates close to Rs. 3 lakhs. 

The remaining income comes from tamarind, jamun, lemon, curry leaves, coconut, drumstick, banana, and other diversified crops, which together contribute Rs. 12–14 lakhs annually, helped by direct-to-consumer pricing that offers better margins than mandis.

Animal husbandry contributes another Rs. 15–18 lakhs annually. With around 10 cows and buffaloes producing an average of 80 litres of milk per day, sold at Rs. 40 per litre for about 300 days, she earns nearly Rs 9.6 lakhs. 

A portion of this milk is converted into ghee, sold at Rs. 800–900 per kg, increasing overall dairy margins. Additionally, from her flock of 300+ sheep, she sells around 120 sheep annually at an average of Rs. 6,000 each, generating about Rs. 7.2 lakhs. 

Together, this structured pricing and diversified production justify her total recurring income of roughly Rs. 40 lakhs per year.

"A single square foot of your land should not be wasted. Just like in the city where you pay rent for every square foot, your farmland also has a rental value that you must respect," the agripreneur tells Startup Pedia.

Future Objectives

Kavita Mishra Sandal Farm plans to harvest its 2,500+ sandalwood trees between 2027 and 2029, aiming to generate Rs. 5-6 crore per acre

She also aims to stop the youth exodus to cities by demonstrating that even a single acre of integrated farming can turn a farmer into a "crorepati." 

She envisions a future where farmers are not seen as weak or poor, but as sophisticated entrepreneurs who drive luxury cars, wear suits, and command the same respect as doctors or engineers.

"Why should a farmer be pictured as a weak man pushing a plough? My vision is for a farmer who drives a BMW, wears a suit, and commands the same respect as a doctor or an engineer," the farmer said, smiling, while signing off.

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