From Paychecks to Pearls: Haryana Workers Turn Side Hustle into Rs 1 Crore Pearl Farming Venture
3 October 2025
3 October 2025
Inside a textile factory in Haryana, Salinder Kumar worked long hours on machines while Rajesh Goswami sat at a desk — both dreaming of a life beyond monthly wages.
In 2013, during a tea break, Rajesh stumbled upon an online advertisement for a pearl farming course in Odisha. Curiosity soon turned into determination.
The duo decided to venture into pearl farming — an unfamiliar but promising niche with little competition and huge potential.
They enrolled in CIFA’s two-day training, learning for the first time about water conditions, mussel care, and the delicate process of cultivating pearls.
Back in Haryana, they invested Rs 3.5 lakh, built six cement tanks, and sourced mussels from Odisha.
Even after long factory shifts, evenings were spent monitoring water quality, algae growth, and mussel health.
For over a year, they juggled both jobs. Slowly but surely, the tanks began producing pearls — proof that the risk was worth it.
Encouraged by success, they quit their jobs and expanded to one lakh mussels across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Daman.
Their business, Jai Shri Pearl Farming, flourished. With only 30% mussel loss, turnover soon crossed Rs 1 crore, with pearls sold in India, the US, Canada, and Australia.
They trained over 200 locals, helping them start pearl farms too. Today, Salinder lives in a spacious new home, drives his own car, and has children studying abroad. “With innovation and persistence, even factory workers can turn dreams into reality,” he says.
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