Labelled ‘Dehati’, This 24-YO Bihar Boy Built a Rs 2.5 Crore Venture Helping 10000 Farmers

At 24, Prince Shukla never imagined that his biggest break would come from a setback. He was preparing for a scholarship in Switzerland and had just begun working in Bengaluru when COVID-19 brought everything to a halt. Plans collapsed, interviews stalled, and he found himself back in his small village in Bihar — a return many around him viewed as a step backwards.

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What felt like a dead end soon revealed a different path.

Back home, Prince saw the gaps that had held farmes back for years. Outdated techniques, weak market access, poor-quality seeds, and a dire shortage of basic tools meant most families repeated the same struggles across generations. 

Determined to change this, he borrowed Rs 1 lakh from his father and founded ‘AGRATE’, a venture that provides small farmers with affordable essentials like quality seeds, drip irrigation systems, and eco-friendly fertilisers.

Training farmers and building trust

Prince realised that providing equipment was only one part of the solution.  He began training farmers in advanced techniques such as grafting, multi-cropping, and sustainable farming methods, supporting them to improve yields and double their profits. His efforts even crossed state lines, helping farmers in Odisha cultivate makhana despite language barriers and logistical challenges.

In just a few years, AGRATE has supported more than 10,000 farmers and built partnerships with companies such as ITC, Godrej, and Parle. These collaborations help farmers improve the quality of their produce and connect to wider markets.

Prince often recalls the early scepticism he faced — the jokes, the doubts, the disbelief that a young man labelled a dehati (someone from a village; often used dismissively to imply a person is old-fashioned or not polished) could transform farming in any meaningful way. Those taunts now sit opposite a very different reality.

With a turnover of Rs 2.5 crore and rising, AGRATE reflects Prince’s belief that impactful change begins at home. What started as one young man’s return to his village has become a movement that uplifts farming families across regions.

Prince’s journey shows how the soil that raised you can grow far more than crops. It can grow confidence, community, and a future shaped by your own hands.