Neel Choudhary
Management Meets Agriculture
Village- Ranawas, District- Pali, State- Rajasthan
INTRODUCTION :
Mr. Neel Choudhary (29 years), a dynamic young agripreneur from Jodhpur city, is managing 44,000 sqm (11 acres) of protected cultivation units at Ranawas village (Pali). An MBA by qualification, he comes from a family engaged in the construction business. After completing his MBA, he aspired to establish an independent enterprise of his own. He received training from ICAR–CAZRI, following which he established a 4,000 sqm polyhouse. Encouraged by the success of this initial venture, he was motivated to exclusively adopt and progressively expand protected cultivation as a full-fledged commercial enterprise.
TRAINING :
Mr. Choudhary received structured training from Agri Business Incubation Centre, ICAR–CAZRI on 18 February 2020. The training programme emphasized scientific management of protected cultivation, production of high-value vegetables, and development of entrepreneurial skills required for commercial agri-enterprises.
ACHIEVEMENTS :
Mr. Choudhary established 11 acres multiple protected cultivation structures between 2020 and 2025. The total investment made was ₹1.60 crore, with a subsidy of ₹20 lakh received for his first one-acre polyhouse, while the remaining 10 acres of nethouse structures were developed through his own investment. The whole enterprise generates consistent and encouraging returns of ₹75–80 lakh per year. With growing confidence and technical expertise, he further diversified into the construction of nethouse structures through his own company, Buildcraft, earning additionally from erecting protected structures. He has now emerged as a model entrepreneur in protected cultivation in western Rajasthan.
IMPORTANCE FOR FARMERS :
This success story clearly demonstrates the economic viability and scalability of protected cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions. Mr. Choudhary’s farm serves as a practical learning site and has been benefitting 15–20 visiting farmers and trainees each month, motivating them to adopt scientific horticultural practices for higher income and year-round employment in resource constrained arid and semi-arid regions.
RECOGNITION :
Mr. Choudhary’s achievements have been widely featured in newspapers and magazines, earning him recognition as a role-model agripreneur for youth aspiring to build careers in modern horticulture. Building on this success, he plans to further strengthen his enterprise by exploring export opportunities and diversifying into additional high-value crops with continued technical support from ICAR–CAZRI.
