When Satguru Jagjit Singh, former chief of Namdharis (a Sikh sect), thought of starting an agribusiness and bought a 50-acre land to grow vegetables and fruits in Bidadi in the 1970s, he never imagined that his venture would one day become a household name in Bengaluru, spread across the country and also take to export. In 1982, he asked his nephew Satguru Uday Singh to take the reins of the operations, and under his guidance, the group formally began its professional journey.
Namdhari’s Group, which has a presence across fresh fruits and vegetables, groceries, dairy, seeds, fine dining and cafes, has a cumulative turnover of ₹ 650 crore. The chain currently has 11 Simpli Namdhari’s stores and 16 Namdhari’s Fresh stores.
Gurmukh Roopra, CEO, Namdhari’s Group, argues that with more and more people from rural areas moving to urban centers for jobs, there is a trend where the number of people engaging in agriculture is gradually decreasing. This opens up an opportunity for the consolidation of landholdings. If landholdings become bigger and agricultural activity is scaled up, incomes of Indian farmers can improve, be said, in an exclusive interview with The Hindu.
