Manpura Village · Jhalawar · Rajasthan
Hukumchand Patidar
"Maine neki kiya aur dariya mein daal diya — I did a good deed and kept it to myself. The Padma Shri came as a pleasant surprise."
His Story
A Class 10 dropout who took on the chemical farming world — and won
Hukumchand Patidar grew up farming in Manpura village, Jhalawar, Rajasthan. He dropped out after Class 10 — not by choice, but by circumstance. The farm had to come first. For years he farmed conventionally, like everyone around him, watching the soil tire and the debt grow.
In 2004, he made the decision that would define his life. He converted his 40-acre farm on the Ujjar river to fully organic. His neighbours thought he had lost his mind. In year one, his yield dropped 40%. His family begged him to stop. He did not stop.
By 2007 the farm was profitable. By 2012 Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate featured him as a national example of what one stubborn farmer could accomplish. Today his farm exports fenugreek to Germany, coriander powder to Japan, and garlic to Switzerland — to 28 countries in total — earning Rs 40–50 lakhs annually at a 40% premium over market price.
In 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind presented him with the Padma Shri — India's fourth-highest civilian honour. His village of Manpura distributed sweets to every household.
Maine neki kiya aur dariya mein daal diya — I did a good deed and kept it to myself. The Padma Shri came as a pleasant surprise.
— Hukumchand Patidar · Padma Shri 2019
The Method
How one man turned 40 acres into a global farm
His farm is divided into three working sections. The first produces green manure — forty varieties of fallen leaves collected and returned to the soil. The second ferments jeevamrut: cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, turmeric, milk, ghee and gram flour — a living microbial tonic applied like medicine to the land.
The third section runs vermicompost beds that produce 400 million tonnes of organic fertiliser annually. Crop stubble is never burned — it is mulched back into the soil. Nothing leaves the farm as waste.
His crops now yield 120% more than when he farmed chemically. His wheat needs 50% less water. He holds three international organic certifications: India's NPOP, the US NOP, and a technical standard opening markets in the EU, Japan, Australia and Korea.
In 2022, ICAR made him the only non-academic member of a 14-person national committee to write organic farming curriculum from Class XI to PhD level. A Class 10 dropout, writing the syllabus for agricultural universities.
His Three Principles
The farming philosophy behind everything NectaBee stands for
Jeevamrut — The Living Soil
He feeds his land with jeevamrut — a fermented blend of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, turmeric and gram flour. No chemical inputs. The soil feeds itself, season after season.
Zero Waste. Zero Burn.
Crop stubble is never burned. Forty varieties of fallen leaves are collected for mulch. Earthworms convert waste into 400 million tonnes of vermicompost annually. Nothing leaves the farm as waste.
Farmer Sovereignty
He built a producer group of 125 farmers, a food processing unit, and direct export channels to 28 nations — removing every middleman between the field and the world.
The Journey
Twenty years of quietly changing things
Converted his 40-acre farm on the Ujjar river in Manpura, Jhalawar to fully organic — against the advice of every neighbour. Suffered a 40% yield drop in year one and refused to quit.
The farm turned profitable. His family, once in debt, became debt-free. Neighbours who had mocked him began asking for guidance.
Featured on Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate — brought to national attention as a model of what one farmer, determined and stubborn, could build against the grain.
Established a food processing unit with Rs 45 lakh investment. Began direct international exports — fenugreek to Germany, coriander to Japan, garlic to Switzerland.
Awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan — India's fourth-highest civilian honour. Category: Agriculture. He called it 'a pleasant surprise.'
Appointed as the only non-academic member of a 14-person ICAR national committee to write organic farming curriculum from Class XI to PhD level across Indian agricultural universities.
Awards & Recognition
Honours that speak for themselves
Across government, agriculture, and community — a two-decade record.
Padma Shri
Government of India
India's fourth-highest civilian honour, awarded for distinguished service in organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
Bharat Krishi Purashkar
Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India
National recognition for exceptional contribution to agricultural innovation and farmer welfare.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
National Award in Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture
Awarded for outstanding contributions to modernising agricultural practices across central India.
Recipient — Om Prakash Patidar
National Organic Farming Excellence
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
ICAR's highest recognition for pioneering work in organic farming and scientific beekeeping.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
Krishi Pandit Samman
Madhya Pradesh State Government
Highest agricultural honour from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for sustainable farming leadership.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
Rajasthan State Recognition
Government of Rajasthan
Formal recognition for outstanding contribution to organic farming across the region.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
State Best Farmer Award
Government of Rajasthan
State-level recognition for innovative farming and community leadership in rural Rajasthan.
Recipient — Om Prakash Patidar
Scientific Beekeeping Champion
National Bee Board, India
Awarded for training over 10,000 farmers in scientific beekeeping methodology.
Recipient — Inderraj Patidar
NABARD Agricultural Innovation
National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development
Recognised for building sustainable agri-entrepreneurship models in rural communities.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
Rural Innovation Leader
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
CII recognition for NectaBee's scalable approach to rural livelihood improvement.
Recipient — Collective Team
Rajasthan Paryavaran Gaurav Samman
Government of Rajasthan
Awarded for outstanding contribution to environmental sustainability and nature-aligned farming.
Recipient — Hukamchand Patidar
The Core Team
The people who make it real
Hukumchand Patidar
Padma Shri Awardee · Organic Farming Pioneer
From Manpura village in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, Hukumchand Patidar dropped out after Class 10 and began farming. In 2004 he converted his 40-acre farm on the Ujjar river to fully organic — suffering a 40% yield drop in year one, yet refusing to quit. Today his farm exports to 28+ countries including Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Australia, earns Rs 40–50 lakhs annually, and was recognised with the Padma Shri in 2019 for services to agriculture.
Om Prakash Patidar
National Awardee
Shri Om Prakash Patidar has been recognized with a National Award for his transformative work in modern agriculture. His expertise in integrating traditional farming wisdom with contemporary techniques has been instrumental in building NectaBee's migration-based beekeeping system.
Inderraj Patidar
Honey Expert
With over two decades dedicated to the science and art of beekeeping, Inderraj Patidar has trained more than 10,000 farmers across India in scientific beekeeping methods. His deep knowledge of bee behavior, seasonal migration patterns, and quality extraction techniques ensures that every jar of NectaBee honey meets the highest standards of purity and flavor.
Jagdish Patidar
Apiary Operations
Jagdish Patidar oversees the day-to-day operations of NectaBee's apiaries, managing the complex logistics of migration-based beekeeping across multiple states. His innovations in field operations have made NectaBee's 2,000+ bee box network one of the most efficiently managed in the country.
NectaBee is not built on marketing. It is built on four decades of earned trust, a Padma Shri, and a stubborn belief that honest food is the highest form of respect for those who eat it.