Nagpur, March 19 A farmer in Maharashtra, who once could not afford to buy clothes but gradually built an empire of poultry business that now has an annual turnover running into crores, has received an invitation to share his insights as an agri-entrepreneur at the University of Oxford.
Ravindra Manikrao Metkar, 57, who belongs to Mhasala Anjangaon Bari village in Amravati district, has been invited to speak at the Global Research Conference to be hosted at the University of Oxford in the UK from May 1 to 5, with "AI for Every Mind" as its theme.
The conference is being organised by the Global Economic Forum (GEF) in collaboration with the university.
An invitation letter sent by the organisers to Metkar says, "Considering your experience and contributions as an Indian Agri Entrepreneur, your presence and insights will be highly valuable to the discussions and collaborative exchanges during the conference."
Metkar launched his poultry farming venture from the terrace of his house way back in 1984 when he was still studying in junior college. He started off with Rs 3,000 funds that he received from his father, who served as a Class IV employee in the forest department. His humble poultry farm then had only 100 birds.
After completing his masters degree in commerce, his mother received four acres of land from her mother at Chandurbazar in Amravati. The family then sold that land and bought one acre of land at Badnera in the district.
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