Khammam Woman Revives Father’s Duck Farm, Builds Rs 3 Lakh-A-Year Business
After her father’s sudden death, Akshitha modernised the family’s duck farm with incubators, creating steady income, statewide supply networks, and employment for villagers.
Published : November 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM IST
Kusumanchi (Khammam, Telangana): Akshitha grew up watching his father take care of ducklings on the banks of the Paleru stream. The flutter of their wings and the rhythmic quacks while paddling through the water, stayed with her. For hours she would watch her father, and help him herd the ducks as they glided across the fields and canals. Today, she stands in the same place, fending for the ducks all by herself as the head of a growing duck-farming enterprise built through grit, resolve and with best of technology.
Some time back, when she lost her father Ramanayya, the entire family was devastated. Their only income was from duck farming, which had supported the education of Akshitha and her two younger siblings in Paleru village, Kusumanchi mandal of Khammam district.
“I completed my post-graduation in horticulture and wanted to help my father. But I never got that opportunity because he passed away before I could do anything. My siblings were still in school and I could not let their education stop,” says Akshitha, visibly a little emotional.
Though she tried for government jobs and briefly worked in a low-pay private job, managing household expenses became difficult. She decided to return to the one thing she grew up watching her father do to run the family. "Duck farming seemed to me the best bet," she reminisces.
However, she decided to modernise the traditional practice and researched on incubators. She found out that commercial hatching techniques were common in cities like Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, but not in her region. She travelled to Hyderabad to receive hands-on training.
"Getting a loan was the biggest hurdle. Banks demanded collateral and private lenders doubted my ability. Undeterred, I pooled my savings and even used a small lottery winning to finally buy my first incubator, worth Rs 3 lakh," says Akshitha.
The next few years were a testing time for her. Since duck farming is seasonal and profitable for barely six months, feeding the birds in the off-season got expensive. Weather fluctuations killed many ducklings. “For almost five years, I kept failing and trying again. Slowly, I learned to get solutions to my problems,” she recalls.
Today, Akshitha supplies ducklings to many states including Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Odisha. Even after all expenses, she earns up to Rs 3 lakh annually and has bought a second incubator. Her siblings have joined her, and she now provides employment to 10 people in her village.
“My dream is to expand this business further and create more jobs,” she concludes, standing beside rows of freshly hatched ducklings.
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