The Farmers Who Changed Their Lives

Ranjit Mahato lives in a village on the edge of the Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand. Five years ago, he was doing whatever work he could find — day labour on construction sites, seasonal agricultural work — earning roughly ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 a month. He had five hives inherited from his father, but no reliable buyer who would pay a fair price for the honey they produced.

In 2021, Ranjit was introduced to DVISSA through a self-help group that had been working with the company in his district. He attended an information session, was sceptical, but decided to try. DVISSA provided him with five additional hives, training on hygienic extraction practices, and a direct procurement agreement with guaranteed prices published three months in advance.

The first season, Ranjit harvested 180 kilograms of honey. At DVISSA's procurement price, he earned ₹54,000 for the season — more than he had made in an entire year of odd jobs. He reinvested part of that in five more hives. By the second season, he had 20 hives and had started training his wife and two neighbours in extraction techniques.

Today, Ranjit manages 42 hives and runs what he describes as 'a small but serious business'. His annual income from honey is approximately ₹3.6 lakh — roughly ten times what he was earning before. He has sent his daughter to a private school in the nearest town, renovated his home, and become an informal trainer for other prospective DVISSA partner beekeepers in his village.

Ranjit's story is not unique within DVISSA's network — it is representative. Across Bihar and Jharkhand, over 500 partner families have seen significant income increases since joining the programme. The average income uplift for a partner beekeeper in their third year with DVISSA is 4.2x their pre-partnership baseline. These are not charitable grants. They are the result of fair prices, market access, and the economics of quality.