Meet Shivamogga couple, whose palm leather start-up earned praise from PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat

New Delhi: A couple from Karnataka’s Shivamogga have become the nation’s talking point after PM Modi spoke about their palm leather start-up in his Mann Ki Baat program and also highlighted how the duo have harnessed the potential of indigenous products and successfully carved a market for palm leather products in the international markets including UK & Europe.

Suresh and Maithili, a couple from Vinoba Nagar of Karnataka came up with out-of-the box idea and started producing an array of eco-friendly products from betel nut fibre. Their products ranging from chappals, plates, trays & many more items used in decoration have found markets internationally. The couple launched the start-up named Bhoomi Agri Ventures and have been in business of making & exporting palm products. The concept became a hit and found plenty of customers as it came as cheap & easy plant-based replacement for animal leather.

PM Modi praised the couple in this year’s last Mann Ki Baat Episode and urged fellow citizens to take inspiration from Shivamogga couple and put indigenous products to such good use.

How Suresh & Maithili built the start-up

Shivamogga’s Suresh Bhat and Maithili have become a household name in the hills. Hailing from a farming family, Suresh grew up taking care of groundnut plantation since childhood.

In 2018, Suresh started work on coconut sheets after he came to know about utility of such eco-friendly products in Netherlands. Year 2019 was a setback due to Corona, however, he applied for grant through Rashtika Krishi Vikas Yojana.

After receiving monetary support under the scheme, the couple installed machinery and manufactured various products from coconut sheets and also created a foreign market.

Their start-up venture named Bhumi Agni Ventures is churning out various products like slippers, pen stand, vanity bag & other products from bio-nut sheet and supplying them to domestic and international markets. Using nut husk, sheet & husk, the couple are making multi-purpose shoes, bags, book covers, mats, and pencil boxes too.

Walnut sheets that fall naturally from trees are used for making variety of sheets, plates & slippers. All these products are in great demand in domestic as well as foreign markets.