"We compete with ourselves": Jayanti Mahapatra on building Manikstu

March 2024 · 1 min read · Manikstu Agro Private Limited

In an interview with Orissa Post, the founder talks about organising goat farming, working with government and measuring progress against ourselves.

In an interview with Orissa Post, Jayanti Mahapatra explains what Manikstu Agro, founded in 2015, is trying to do: make goat farming in India more organised and double the incomes of goat farmers in Kalahandi district.

She says her earlier work in banking, particularly its corporate social responsibility projects, showed her what villages needed and where the market demand was. That is what led her to invest in goat farming.

She sees growing interest in agriculture, with people from many backgrounds returning to it as a way to build a better livelihood. For her own company, she says the yardstick is its own past performance, not its rivals, because steady hard work is what moves things forward.

Her advice to people who want to start a business is to build determination, honesty and strong values. She welcomes government support for agribusiness but stresses integrity and a real partnership between government and private companies, and says relationships with partners are central to the company's growth.