Engineer Turned Farmer: Read How Ashish Negi Scaled Kinnaur Apple Farming

Ashish Negi's inspirational story begins with his engineering career and continues as he becomes a well-known farmer. Negi first established a name for himself as an outstanding engineer by working in different roles. But there came a day when he made up his mind to return to his hometown, Huri. He realized that his Kinnaur apple orchards were unattended and could be farmed better.

Negi’s enthusiasm for farming and deep connection with his family roots made him choose farming over engineering. He was driven by a desire to make a significant impact in his native region of Kinnaur and help farmers in Trans-Himalayan agriculture.

Let’s learn more about Ashish Negi's apple farming methods and how he scaled his Kayang apple startup.

Revolutionizing Apple Farming in Kinnaur

Ashish Negi has revolutionized apple farming in Kinnaur, bringing about innovation and increased efficiency. What makes Kinnaur famous is its apple range, which is known to be unique and of superior quality. 

However, Negi found that there was room for growth and enhanced Kinnaur apple farming. He decided to utilize modern farming techniques like 

• Precision farming
• Better irrigation technologies
• Efficient Climate-smart agriculture

These modern farming techniques helped him to improve yield.  By using the high-density apple plantation technique and organic manure, he has improved the taste and texture of Kinnaur apples. 

Wondering how Mr Negi Marketed Kinnaur apples beyond the regional market? 

Well, After coming back to his hometown and working at the apple orchard, he realized the market for Kinnaur apples is not receiving that much attention because of a lack of a grading system. Manual grading takes time, which degrades the quality of apples after harvesting. Ashish went to local markets to understand the market and then established a mechanical apple grading system. This machine helps grade apples in less time and with less labour cost. 

After this, Mr Negi founded his own startup with his wife Sneha Negi as a co-founder to market their best apples in India. 

Kayang: An Apple Startup

In 2015, Mr and Mrs Negi started Kayang to market the Kinnaur apples. Mr Negi directly sources apples from small farmers, sorts, grades, and packages them, and then distributes them nationwide.  According to an Online article, 'Kayang' now has a team of around 300 members and has increased the farmers' income by up to 20%. However, while maintaining a sustainable profit margin of 2.5%.

The company practices precision farming in Himachal Pradesh and produces good-quality Kinnaur apples. The company has been supplying the increasing demand coming from cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. 
In their conversation with the media house, the couple stated that they plan to add more value-added products to their brand in the future.

How Mr. Negi Marketed Kinnaur Apples?

One of Ashish Negi's outstanding accomplishments is reaching beyond regional markets to the national market with Kinnaur apples. This expansion required overcoming several obstacles, including: 

• Competitive markets
• Quality control concerns
• Logistical challenges
• Innovations in agriculture
• Chemical-free farming practices

Negi developed marketing strategies, highlighting the unique qualities of Kinnaur apples and established partnerships with distribution networks.
 

Expanding Kinnaur Apple Market

Ashish Negi has been working to bring beneficial changes to Trans Himalayan agriculture. He realized that farmers in Trans Himalayan areas need more assistance and awareness. Therefore, he has established numerous training courses and seminars to help people understand Apple's cultivation techniques. These programs are devoted to organic farming benefits, rational water management, and state-of-art farming practices.

The future of Apple Farming in Kinnaur

Speaking about the future of farming in the Trans Himalayan region, Mr Negi sees a brighter future that constantly grows with time. Some of the major plans involve further Innovations in agriculture to produce more and serve in the Farm-to-table supply chain. Negi also aims to improve farmer training and other relevant programs to make modern farming accessible in the Trans Himalayan region.

Conclusion

From an engineer to a farmer, Ashish Negi has revolutionized the farming scenario of Kinnaur and the Trans Himalayan zone. His ideas regarding Kinnaur apple farming and devotion to the development of the local farmers are commendable.