Employees of the company are working in the factory of RK Metal in Faridpur and on the right Mr. Paritosh Malo. Photo: Collected
Onion farmers in the country face more or less problems with onion storage every year. Many of the onions they produce are wasted due to lack of proper storage. However, this rate has decreased compared to before. Because many farmers are now using onion preservation devices (blowers). A Faridpur company called RK Metal is selling this machine at a cheap price among onion farmers.
Farmers can now store up to 200 to 300 maunds of onions at their homes by buying a blower device at the price of 14 to 16 thousand taka. Not only onion storage, RK Metals also manufactures various tools useful for onion harvesting, threshing, seeding, grass cutting, irrigation, etc. So far the company has manufactured and marketed 31 types of modern agricultural machinery according to local demand. They claim that these devices are sold at very cheap prices.
Paritosh Malo (49) is the founder and current chairman of RK Metal. This entrepreneur built the company in the Habeli Gopalpur area of Faridpur city. But like many other micro-entrepreneurs, Prithosh's journey was not smooth. This son of a fisherman family has gradually established himself as an entrepreneur through his efforts.
Paritosh attended Faridpur High School till eighth standard and got admission in mechanical trade at a local technical institute. He learned several jobs including welding in two years of training there. In the meantime, he completed his secondary education at a private institution.
Paritosh set up a welding factory in 1997 with a loan of 25,000 taka from his mother and 50,000 taka from his uncle. He said that actually, the factory was working in a small tin room next to the election office in the Tepakhola area of the city. He used to visit various institutions to collect work. This is how the scale of business gradually increases.
Paritosh Malo's life took a turn around 2000. At that time, he joined a British development organization as a technician under a project of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Learned to make different types of agricultural machinery there. Using this knowledge, after a year, he started making various types of agricultural machinery in his own factory in Faridpur. The officers of the Agricultural Research Institute assisted him in this work.
Later, he built the RK Metal factory (workshop) on 5 percent of the land in the Habeli Gopalpur area of Faridpur city. The demand for his manufactured products and the scope of work of this factory has increased quite a lot. For that, he is constructing another factory on 50 percent of land in Maharajpur of Kanaipur Union of District Headquarters. However, production has not yet started there.
Paritosh Malo said, 'The current era is of modern technology and equipment. At this time, if we work traditionally, we have to stay behind. Again, to provide products according to the huge demand of people, there is no alternative to production and processing through machines. By thinking about these aspects, we focus on making modern agricultural machinery suitable for the domestic environment. Apart from that, the business potential of this sector also encouraged me.
At present, Paritosh is making 31 types of modern agricultural machinery based on engines and electric motors. These include threshing machines for rice, wheat, maize, coriander, etc. Cultivation and harrowing of crops and sowing machines. Hay and grass cutting machine, onion cutting machine. Onion preservation blower etc. He has modernized some of these old machines. He made two or three new devices with his own technology. For example, the old system required pushing many agricultural implements from one place to another. In these cases, he has added engine-driven transport to the machine.
Paritosh Malo said that he gives the most importance to research and development (R&D) in the manufacture of instruments. In this case, the needs and wants of the local farmers are given priority. As a result, farmers are greatly benefited. For example, through threshing machines made by RK Metal, it is possible to thresh the crops as well as threshing and sorting. One to one and a half thousand kg of paddy or wheat can be threshed in one hour.
Various devices made by RK Metal are sold in different districts of the country including Faridpur. Paritosh Malo, chairman of the company, said that the demand for each device is high in each area. For example, Pabna and Faridpur sell more onion storage equipment. A total of 800-900 agricultural implements are sold annually depending on the season. The price of these devices ranges from a minimum of two thousand to a maximum of one and a half lakh taka. A profit of Tk 12 to 15 lakh is made by selling the machine.
Parithosh's wife Polly Rani Malo is in charge of the vice chairman of RK Metal. Their company currently has 15 regular employees. Although the number of workers before Corona was 25. At that time due to financial problems, they were forced to reduce manpower. But Paritosh said that recently he has started to turn around again. He said, when the new factory is opened, there will be employment of hundreds of people.
Paritosh Malo said local entrepreneurs are proving their capabilities by facing various challenges. But they need loans with low interest and easy terms. This has become even more imperative during the current financial crisis. Especially if the entrepreneurs can be given a one-time loan of Tk 1 crore to 5 crore and on the contrary, if interest can be started after one year, they will benefit.
Source: Online/GFMM
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