Techie turned mushroom farmer earns Rs 10 lakh a month after quitting 14-year IT career, gets almost Rs 1 crore govt help

A former techie from Nabarangpur, Odisha, has turned to full-time farming after 14 years in the IT industry, setting up a commercial mushroom production and processing unit that now earns him more than Rs 10 lakh a month, according to details shared about his venture. Vikramdev Mohapatra, who holds a BTech degree, made the switch after working with leading IT firms for over a decade, choosing to return to his hometown and build a business in mushroom cultivation rather than continue his corporate career in software engineering.

The decision to step away from a stable IT career has paid off in more ways than one, with Mohapatra's venture now supporting his own livelihood as well as employment for the local community, since his unit currently employs around 24 people, comprising 18 women and 6 men who work across the production and processing operations.



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From salaried employee to job creator

Operating year-round, the unit produces mushrooms that are supplied to Brahmapur and Bhubaneswar, with daily output ranging between 500 and 600 kg, which adds up to a monthly production figure of 15 to 18 tonnes once scaled across the month. Selling at a rate of roughly Rs 100 to 110 per kg, this level of output translates into a monthly revenue of Rs 16 to 19 lakh for the business.

Project cost and government support

Setting up the unit required a total investment of around Rs 2.56 crore, a significant portion of which, Rs 97 lakh, was covered through a government subsidy extended under the Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana (MKUY), easing the financial burden of establishing the operation from scratch.

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Online reactions

The story has drawn appreciation from social media users, many of whom praised the shift from a corporate career to rural entrepreneurship. One user wrote, "Dedication, Determination, Fearlessness, Never give up attitude....... True Example," while another commented, "Idea worth appreciating and emulating! If we can have 20 such entrepreneurs to start with, it would be a massive change."

Mohapatra's shift from a salaried IT professional to an employer generating livelihoods for 24 people locally has been cited as an example of the kind of rural entrepreneurship now taking root in Odisha.

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