When aimed at benefitting other living being, one can find numerous ways to help. When Bhavesh from Gujarat decided to assist his father in saving homeless cows and making them economically viable, he prepared a 100% natural fertilizer from cow urine (gomutr).
An innovative startup from Bhabhar in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, Dhenu Prasad. Started in 2017 by Bhavesh Purohit, it manufactures natural fertilizer from cow urine. Yes, the same reaction was of various farmers who did not prefer purchasing it but now, the startup’s annual turnover is around Rs 70 lakh. Bhavesh was inspired by his father to promote organic farming.
Educational Background
Bhavesh holds a degree in biotechnology from a college in Ahmedabad and during his college days, he noticed how his father struggled to save and help cows. He provided shelter to them protecting them from harsh weather and diseases.
The Eureka Moment
It was long before around 25 years ago when Bhavesh’s father started a goshala (cowshed). Bhavesh’s father has an ardent cow lover. Despite belonging to a humble background, he set up a goshala (cow shed) and gave shelter to numerous cows. Thus, Bhavesh grew up while caring for cows and helping his father.
After a certain age, cows are abandoned when they can no longer reproduce or provide ample milk. He noticed his father was struggling to save cows then. Bhavesh was looking for a way to make these cows economically beneficial, irrespective of their age.
All in all, that is when an idea struck Bhavesh. He decided to try his hand at converting cow urine into 100% natural fertilizer Overall, it was beneficial for both farmers and cows. Not only this, but we, consumers, will also be getting natural food products (pesticide/fertilizer-free).
Initial Struggles and Challenges
It took 3 years of research and then in 2017, the startup launched cow urine manure to improve soil health. However, farmers being not very aware of organic farming cannot understand the logic behind it. Initially, Bhavesh used to collect only 50 liters of cow urine from his father’s cowshed and took the finished products to nearby villages and farms every day.
The main challenge was to raise awareness among the farmers about organic farming. Since a major farming population is unaware of this method, they were skeptical about the innovative products offered by Dhenu Prasad. Thus, Bhavesh, along with his team travelled to villages and farmlands every day to teach farmers about the benefits of their products.
However, he only faced rejection because everyone wanted instant results which were already in their hands with toxic fertilizers and pesticides.
Later, he decided to organize workshops to spread awareness about the benefits of his product for both farms and farmers. He started giving free samples and demonstrations.
However, understanding that actions serve better than words, Bhavesh and his team chose 1 farmer from each village and convinced him to use the fertilizer. Other farmers were keeping track of those land and their crop quality. Once the result was evident, the farmers were satisfied and finally started using Dhenu Prasad’s products for organic farming.
Soon, Bhavesh became a successful entrepreneur and earned fame for his efforts towards Indian agriculture. He has been a part of various initiatives aimed at promoting organic farming.
Today Dhenu Prasad is helping more than 500 farmers with ways and education to adopt organic farming. The startup processes 45,000 liters of cow urine/month and offers products like Dhanrakshak (natural pesticide) and Dhanbhumi (soil conditioner).
In FY 23-24 the company’s revenue reached Rs 70 lakh and the startup is now planning to expand its operations. It is expected that in FY25 Dhenu Prasad’s revenue will cross Rs 1.5 crore. Bhavesh plans to increase from 1000 liters/day to 10,000 liters urine processing per day but he also aims for steady growth.
