Grinding mill brings monthly income of over Rs 1 lakh for Kanchanpur entrepreneur

Kanchanpur: Chitra Bahadur Chaudhary of Beldandi Rural Municipality-3, Vaibaha, has transformed his life through a grinding mill that he has been operating for the past decade. The business now generates a monthly income exceeding Rs 1 lakh.

Chaudhary said he initially took a loan of Rs 20 lakhs from the Creative Savings and Loan Cooperative to start the mill. The facility offers multiple services, including wheat flour production, mustard oil extraction, and rice threshing. “We have taken loans totaling around Rs 20 lakhs from the cooperative over time,” he said. “With an income of Rs 18 lakhs, we’ve managed to repay most of it — only Rs 200,000 remains, and we plan to pay that off in the next two to three months.”

Reflecting on his past, Chaudhary shared that he once struggled to meet basic household expenses. “I used to spend my days farming, and the grain produced was only enough to eat — there was nothing left for other needs,” he said. “After joining the cooperative and starting the mill, there’s no shortage of money anymore.”

Currently, the mill earns approximately Rs 150,000 per month, of which around Rs 70,000 is saved after covering wages, equipment maintenance, and electricity costs. He deposits his savings in the cooperative regularly. With the income, he has purchased four kaththas of land in the village, and his two sons are pursuing higher education in Dhangadhi.

Due to the mill’s proximity to the Nepal–India border, customers from the Indian village of Tatarganj also frequent the facility. Chaudhary stated that about four quintals of Indian rice are ground at the mill daily. “There are no other grinding mills nearby, so there’s always a rush of customers,” he noted.

“Indians come here to extract mustard oil as it's cheaper than in Indian mills,” he said. “If customers leave the bran at the mill, we don’t charge for crushing the paddy.”

The mill charges Rs 1.50 per kilogram for grinding wheat, Rs 2.50 for corn, and Rs 7 for mustard oil. Additional income is generated by selling the bran and oil cake byproducts. Chaudhary plans to use his savings to purchase land in a market area and construct a concrete house.

Confident in the mill’s future, he said, “As long as we continue to serve customers whenever they come, there will be no shortage of business.”