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Bringing change in farmers' fortune

The Morning Standard

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December 28, 2025

Going beyond astronomy interest, Jorhat science graduate sets up farmer producer organisations, says Prasanta Mazumdar

Bringing change in farmers' fortune

AS a BSc (IT) student, Chandan Borthakur sparked schoolchildren's interest in astronomy.

Today, the 38-year-old has gone way beyond his science degree by helping farmers reach the stars. His NGO 'APRINS' manages 50 farmer producer organisations (FPOs) in agriculture and allied sectors.

In 2009, when most 20-year-olds were busy adjusting to college life, Borthakur, then a first-year BSc student at Jorhat Science College in Assam, took a decision that would quietly but steadily transform thousands of rural lives across the state and beyond. From Jorhat, he founded his organisation APRINS with a simple yet powerful belief: real change must begin at the grassroots, not just in policy rooms.

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