Ritu Agarwal: On Entrepreneurship, Empowering Farmers & Women In Business

From being a homemaker to running a cattle feed business, tell us more about your journey.

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My journey into entrepreneurship wasn't conventional. After marriage, my primary focus was my family—raising my children and ensuring I was fully present for them. But business was always in my DNA. While I wasn't actively running a company back then, I was deeply involved in business discussions with my husband, contributing to key decisions, especially in marketing and operations.

The idea for Gyandhara was my husband's, given our background in the dairy business. So I give the entire credit for this to him, since he was the one who helped me and explained me the need of good quality feed in Uttar Pradesh. But as I got involved, I saw a much bigger picture—farmers in Uttar Pradesh were struggling because the feed available in the market was low-cost but ineffective. What they really needed was a high-quality, result-driven feed to improve cattle health and increase milk yield. That's when I knew this wasn't just a business—it was an opportunity to create real impact.

From 2016 to 2018, I played an active role in setting up Gyandhara's manufacturing plant, working on everything from operations to sourcing. I also got the chance to learn from industry experts like Dr. M.R. Garg and Mr. R.S. Sodhi, which shaped my understanding of cattle nutrition and farmer needs. By 2018, I officially stepped into entrepreneurship, but I had already spent years preparing for it. Gyandhara wasn't just a business decision—it was a calling.

What is your vision for transforming the cattle feed industry?

The cattle feed industry is often driven by price, not quality, and that's a huge challenge. Many farmers unknowingly compromise on feed quality because cheaper options seem attractive. But poor nutrition leads to unhealthy cattle, lower milk production, and financial losses.

My vision with Gyandhara is simple—shift the industry's focus from cost to impact.