HERO BANNER
Building a Poultry Empire
Ravindra Metkar launched his venture from his house terrace in 1984 while in junior college, starting with Rs 3,000 from his father — a Class IV forest department employee — and 100 birds.
After earning a master's in commerce, his family acquired one acre of land at Badnera. He obtained a Rs 5 lakh bank loan and expanded to 4,000 birds. By 2006, the farm had grown to 20,000 birds across 10 acres.
Bird flu in 2006 devastated his business. He recovered in 2008 with a Rs 25 lakh loan, restarting with 20,000 birds. "There was no looking back after that as 10,000 birds started getting added to the farm annually," he stated.
Currently: 1.8 lakh birds across 50 acres, Rs 15 crore annual turnover, zero bank loans.
At one time, I did not have proper clothes and used to wear torn clothes that were stitched at home, and did not have a bicycle to go to college. I had never imagined that I would get a chance to go to Oxford University and share my success story!— Ravindra Metkar
Diversified Farming and Guidance
Beyond poultry, Metkar cultivates banana, mango, orange, sweet lime, sapodilla, coconut, wheat, and corn using organic fertilizers and natural methods.
His family is deeply involved: two brothers and his older son (pursuing agriculture business management/MBA) assist in operations; his youngest son holds a master's degree in Computer Engineering from abroad.
Metkar has shared his experience at prestigious institutions including:
- University of Oxford — Global Research Conference (invited speaker)
- Singapore University
- Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu
- Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur
- Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai
- Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research
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