Sunita Nhemaphuki is the Founder of R & D Innovative Solution established in 2010. The company operates various flagship programmes in the agriculture sector. They also publish the largest circulated agriculture magazine Krishak Ra Prabidhi, run agri centers in rural and urban areas to cater to the needs of small holding farmers to develop production and productivity, and as a marketplace for agricultural products. The company is also using technology to create direct linkages between producers and consumers.
Their vision is to work in communication, consulting and coordination of the agriculture sector with an aim to be recognised as the leading agribusiness solution provider in the country.
Sunita Nhemaphuki has been on an entrepreneurial journey since the last 15 years. She has a Masters degree in Mass Communication from Dhaka University. She is also associated with the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal.
Here, she shares with Business 360 the five most important things that have shaped her career and life.
“Where there is a problem, there is an opportunity too”
I was influenced by my brother in my early career. He always inspired me to stay positive. Now my husband is the engine of my professional life. In the beginning, he made me aware about the problems in the agriculture sector and urged me to work in this sector. Where there is a problem, there is an opportunity too. So, I decided to jump from the advertising industry to agriculture. Now I find myself not only doing business, but also helping farmers solve problems.
“I have always been a problem solver”
My ambition is to lead the agricultural industry with innovative services needed by the farming communities. I am passionate about listening to their problems and finding solutions for them. I have always been a problem solver. I came into the agriculture industry which unfortunately has a diverse set of problems that have to be solved, and I am continuously working on these. At present, I am working on a very innovative contract farming model with small holding farmers to provide a one stop solution to their problems.
“I started a new company six years ago from scratch”
Eight years ago, I was working in advertising, which by the way I was enjoying. I went to Dhaka University, under the NORAD scholarship to pursue my Masters Degree in Mass Communication. My husband (then boyfriend) had initiated community based integrated farming in Damak, Jhapa. Every day he left lengthy messages on Yahoo Messenger about the problems he faced in the farm. I realised if a well-educated young guy has so many difficulties in farming what might be the situation of the majority of population. I realised that lack of agricultural information was the main challenge. To counter this, I started a new company six years ago from scratch to publish the first agriculture information magazine which has become the largest circulated agriculture magazine in Nepal. Since then my venture has been innovating services that provide one stop solution for small holding farmers from production to market linkage.
“You always win when you work for a bigger cause”
The information business targeting a majority of customers who barely read or are too poor to pay was a huge challenge. But that did not deter me. I understood that if you seek and work on solutions consistently, you will eventually succeed. Over the years, I have become immensely confident as I have also come to understand that you always win when you work for a bigger cause.
“Today my work speaks for me”
Shifting from the advertisement industry to agriculture was the most important decision I made. My friends used to question me - why agriculture? Today my work speaks for me. I am working for communities to grow and develop.
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