My name is Lakshmi Das. I come from a small village near Silchar in Assam. A few years ago, I never imagined that selling plants could become my full-time business. Like many women in our village, I stayed at home, helped my family with household work, and looked after a small kitchen garden.
People in our village usually grow flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees around their homes. I also loved plants from childhood. Whenever I visited relatives or neighbours, I would bring back small cuttings of flowering plants. Slowly my backyard became full of different plants. Some were flowering plants, some were fruit saplings, while others were medicinal plants.
One day, a neighbour visited my house and asked if I would sell one of my hibiscus plants. I sold it for a small amount. A week later another person came looking for a guava plant. Then someone wanted curry leaf plants.
That was the day I realised something very important. People were ready to buy healthy plants if someone could provide them.
As my mother often says, “Gachh manush shob shomoy bhalobashe.” People always love plants.
Starting from My Own Backyard
I did not have much money to invest. My business started in one corner of our backyard.
I collected old plastic buckets, broken tubs, used cement bags, and discarded plastic containers. These became my first nursery pots.
Instead of buying expensive planting material, I learned how to prepare plants from cuttings, seeds, air layering, and grafting. Many fruit plants like lemon, guava, mango, and jackfruit could be multiplied this way.
I also prepared my own potting mixture using local soil, cow dung, sand, and vermicompost.
My first nursery had hardly fifty plants, but every plant was healthy.
Learning Before Expanding
At first, I made many mistakes.
Some plants died because I watered them too much. Others dried because I kept them in direct sunlight. I also lost several seedlings during heavy rains.
Instead of giving up, I decided to learn properly.
I attended training programmes organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the Horticulture Department. There I learned about nursery management, seed germination, grafting, pest control, and potting mixtures.
In the evenings, I watched Bengali and Assamese gardening videos on YouTube. I also visited successful nurseries whenever I went to Silchar.
Every new thing I learned improved my nursery.
As we often say in Bengali, “Shikhte thakle harar bhoy thake na.” If you keep learning, you never truly fail.
Choosing Plants That People Actually Buy
Initially, I grew whatever plants I liked.
Later I realised that business is different from a hobby.
Customers mostly asked for plants that were useful.
These included mango, guava, lemon, coconut, arecanut, banana, papaya, curry leaf, chilli, brinjal, tomato, hibiscus, rose, jasmine, marigold, money plant, aloe vera, tulsi, snake plant, and ornamental palms.
During the rainy season, fruit plants sold more. Before Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and other festivals, flowering plants became very popular.
By understanding customer demand, my income improved every year.
Investment and Basic Equipment
One advantage of a nursery business is that it can be started with very little investment.
My first expenses included:
- Polythene nursery bags
- Garden tools
- Watering can
- Garden hose
- Shade net
- Bamboo poles
- Potting soil
- Cow dung
- Vermicompost
- Plant labels
- Seeds and mother plants
Many materials were already available at home, which reduced my investment considerably.
As the nursery grew, I purchased better pruning tools, sprayers, and a small water pump.
Step-by-Step Use of Government Support
Government departments regularly encourage horticulture and nursery development. I found that approaching government offices was much easier than many people imagine.
Step 1: Visit the Horticulture Department
I first visited the District Horticulture Office and explained that I wanted to start a small plant nursery.
The officers explained various schemes related to nursery development, fruit cultivation, ornamental plants, and horticulture training.
I carried:
- Aadhaar Card
- Bank Passbook
- Passport-size Photographs
- Address Proof
Step 2: Attend Government Training
I enrolled in nursery management training organised by:
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)
- Horticulture Department
- Agricultural University
- Agriculture Department
The training covered:
- Seed germination
- Grafting
- Air layering
- Potting mixture
- Pest management
- Nursery maintenance
- Marketing
Most of these programmes were either completely free or charged only a very small fee.
Step 3: Prepare a Nursery Project Report
Before applying for financial assistance, I prepared a simple project report containing:
- Nursery size
- Number of plants
- Initial investment
- Expected monthly sales
- Marketing plan
- Future expansion plans
The horticulture officer helped me prepare this report.
Step 4: Apply for a Government Loan
I visited a nearby Public Sector Bank and applied for financial assistance.
I asked about:
- Mudra Loan
- Kisan Credit Card (if eligible)
- Agriculture Term Loan
- Horticulture Loan
The bank requested:
- Aadhaar Card
- PAN Card (if available)
- Passport-size Photographs
- Address Proof
- Bank Account Details
- Project Report
The loan helped me purchase shade nets, nursery bags, irrigation pipes, and additional planting materials.
Step 5: Enquire About Subsidies
The Horticulture Department informed me that different schemes sometimes provide assistance for:
- Shade net construction
- Irrigation systems
- Fruit plant production
- Nursery development
- Organic inputs
Since schemes change from time to time, I learned to visit the office regularly instead of depending on rumours.
Step 6: Maintain Proper Records
I kept one file containing:
- Loan documents
- Purchase bills
- Training certificates
- Sales records
- Nursery inventory
This made future expansion much easier.
Step 7: Reinvest the Profit
Instead of spending all my earnings, I used part of the profit to buy more mother plants, improve irrigation, and increase the number of nursery bags.
Every year my nursery became slightly bigger.
Moving to Silchar
For almost two years I sold plants directly from my home.
Customers came after hearing about my nursery from friends and relatives.
But I noticed one problem.
Many people living in Silchar city wanted plants, but they did not want to travel to my village.
After discussing with my family, I rented a small roadside space in Silchar.
Every morning, I loaded plants onto a small pickup vehicle and arranged them neatly outside my shop.
People walking past the shop stopped to look at flowering plants. Some came to buy one plant and returned later for more.
Apartment owners wanted indoor plants.
School teachers bought flowering plants.
New homeowners purchased fruit saplings.
Office workers bought decorative plants for their balconies.
The city gave me many more customers than I had imagined.
Building Customer Trust
I never tried to sell unhealthy plants.
If a customer asked how to grow a mango or lemon tree, I explained everything patiently.
I told them how much water the plant needed, how much sunlight was required, and when to apply manure.
Sometimes customers returned after several months just to show me photographs of the plants they had purchased.
Many of them recommended my nursery to their relatives.
That is how my business grew.
As my father always reminds me,
“Bishwas holo shobcheye boro punji.” Trust is the biggest investment in any business.
Selling Throughout the Year
A nursery business does not depend on only one season.
Fruit plants sell well before the monsoon.
Flowering plants become popular during festivals.
Vegetable seedlings sell before each planting season.
Indoor ornamental plants sell throughout the year.
Medicinal plants also have regular demand.
Because of this variety, there is always something to sell.
Expanding the Business
As profits increased, I added more varieties every year.
Today my nursery has fruit plants, flowering plants, ornamental plants, medicinal herbs, vegetable seedlings, spice plants, bamboo plants, and decorative pots.
I also started preparing my own vermicompost and potting mix instead of buying them from outside.
This reduced my costs and increased my profits.
In the future, I plan to start online bookings and home delivery within Silchar so that customers can order plants without visiting the nursery.
My Advice to Other Rural Women
Looking back today, I feel proud that my small backyard hobby became a successful business.
I did not inherit a large shop or invest lakhs of rupees.
I started with a few plants, a little knowledge, and the willingness to learn every day.
For women living in villages across Assam and West Bengal, a nursery business can become much more than a source of income. It offers independence, allows work from home in the beginning, and can gradually grow into a full-time enterprise.
Every plant that leaves my nursery carries a little hope with it. Some will grow into fruit trees, some will decorate homes, and some will simply make people smile.
Whenever I look at my nursery in Silchar, I remember the tiny backyard where everything began.
As we say in Bengali, “Chhoto bij thekei boro gachh hoy.” Every big tree begins as a small seed. My business also started exactly the same way.