The CEO’s grand vision: “To rehabilitate and rejuvenate Filipino farming lands, restoring them to their healthiest state to bring both the farmers and the Filipino a brighter and healthier future.”
Upon seeing the diminishing productivity in crops amongst farmers despite using more chemical inputs prompted Prashant Dargani to start his own company called Enviro Scope Synergy Incorporated (ESSI), the Philippines’ first Biotech Company, which provides organic solutions to this kind of problem.
“Traditionally, this is solved through soil rejuvenation programs that required the farmers to stop using their land and let it heal naturally. But this is highly impractical for them as they need it to earn a living,” explains the young CEO of ESSI. He founded ESSI together with two friends Jiten Lalwani and Raj.
They worked with some of the best scientists and specialists they could find to develop their own line of organic-based agricultural inputs that are formulated specifically to rejuvenate the soil while the farmers use them throughout their planting season. This will also allow them to increase their productivity, reap better quality crops, and restore their land to its healthiest state.
ESSI earliest products were Parker Neem Tonic, Ultra Pk, and Hi Crop — organically formulated pesticide, fungicide, and fertilizer. Dargani’s team is continuously doing research to develop products that address different crop pests and diseases and to constantly improve on how they can bring back the health of the soil.
Sharing the vision of ESSI
At the onset, Dargani shared his vision of ESSI with his family and friends who have been very supportive of him. Of course, there were also skeptics, he discloses. “The world of agriculture has been using chemical agricultural inputs for decades; it has become a standard practice already, and so it was very difficult to make them see that there is a different path.”
This situation persuaded them to work with a lot of LGUs such as Ilocos Norte, Bohol, Batangas, and created a program where (1) They could sponsor free product tests on the farmers’ land to show them first-hand how much their products could help them in terms of productivity, and (2) They held “kapihan” sessions with the farmers where they educated them about soil health.
“I am however hoping to do more work with the LGUs on the Mandanas-Garcia law to help them build parameters, processes, and policies that improve the soil conditions in different farms across provinces and municipalities and ensure that no farmer gets left behind,” says Dargani.
Dargani shares that the first few years were rough. “I was a young city boy who had to suddenly spend most of my time traveling around the entire Philippines, visiting different farms. It was tiring,” he recalls. But being a new player, they were armed with a grand vision, “To rehabilitate and rejuvenate Filipino farming lands, restoring them to their healthiest state to bring both the farmers and the Filipino a brighter and healthier future.”
Eventually, his perseverance paid off, farmers, LGUs, and private companies started to believe in them, and they worked with them to help make this vision a reality. “So our growth is really thanks to the farmers, LGUs, and private companies who put their trust in us,” says Dargani with so much gratitude in his heart.
In 2019, ESSI entered into a partnership with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. – Bantay Kalikasan (BK) to improve Philippine Agriculture through technological innovation such as Biotechnology and to provide organic inputs and technological assistance to the community-assisted sites of BK. It raised awareness about biotechnology as a way to save the environment.
Digitization and a spirit that never quits
Dargani leads ESSI into digitization during the pandemic. They launched interactive online activities for their farmers and their children throughout the pandemic. He stresses that no matter how big or small the problem, we must “never lose our spirit to persevere.” They also invested in better staff training to equip them with better skills that will ultimately contribute to how they can help the farmers — from product knowledge, farming expertise, to communications and management skills.
On competing, winning, and getting the trust
Competition, Dargani points out is a word that the “real world” will ingrain in you. But don’t forget about community as well, he emphasizes. “In college, we never forgot that we are still a community. We competed, but we helped each other through our problems. We formed bonds worth a lifetime.”
Dargani succinctly put it: “Compete but don’t forget to form healthy and deep relationships with each other. Compete but don’t forget to help when one of you is in need. Compete, but don’t forget it’s not about winning; it’s about solving problems for your consumers who put their trust in you.”
Lessons learned
When he was about to graduate from college, Dargani’s dad suffered a stroke which left him and his family in financial difficulty. Suddenly, he was thrust into the role of being the sole breadwinner of the family.
But through his life experiences, there were five important lessons he learned: (1)Build healthy relationships —having the right people beside you will help you get the right mindset to achieve your success; (2) Find a mentor — learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before you to avoid making the same mistakes, and to optimize your growth trajectory; (3) Work hard — make sure your team sees that you are willing to put in the work for the future of the company; (4) Curiosity — always try to look at a problem from different perspectives and work to find the best possible solution; and (5) Love what you do — not all of us are lucky enough to be doing what we love because sometimes we have limited options. To find the good things in what you do, focus on that, and build on loving it.”
Morning routine and finding time for relaxation
On the days where Dargani needs to visit the farms, he wakes up at around 5 AM or 6 AM. On other days, he wake ups at 7 AM. “My morning routine is the same no matter what the day is. I have a cup of coffee and calibrate my mind through meditation,” he intimates.
The hardworking CEO also finds time to unwind after a hectic day. “Before the pandemic, I unwind through social gatherings with either different business organizations or friends. Now, however, I unwind by reading a book, or watching a bit of Netflix,” he shares.
Though, he’s not very particular about food, he tries to eat as healthily as possible, “avoiding junk food as much as I can, and I do intermittent fasting once in a while when my weight is off. But other than that, my diet is pretty flexible since I travel a lot,” he says. He plays basketball two to three times a week and pairs that with some high-intensity interval training whenever he gets a chance to do so.
The pandemic has made him realized “that life is full of twists and turns, and they will never stop. We never know what will happen tomorrow or the day after that, so we should put in the effort to appreciate those that we have now.”
He plans for the future as much as he can, “but I now make sure to seize every opportunity that comes my way, and make time just for family and friends outside of work.” It’s like going back to the basics – both in how he leads his life and how he conducts his company’s vision for the future. (end)
