By Elaine Vitt
Contributing writer
Long before Arvind Narula was the world’s leading supplier of organic jasmine rice, before he was a steward of the environment, he was a social entrepreneur. From day one, he has partnered with the poorest farmers and workers, seeding an ever-growing business with health and ethics at its core.
When Narula set out to launch a high-value rice business in 1982, he faced a pivotal decision: Would he use large-scale industrial farms or employ family farms whose owners could barely scratch out a living?
“For me it was a no brainer, really,” says Narula, who joined YPO in Thailand in 1990. “If we could help the poorest people, why wouldn’t we do that?”
Narula contracted with the small farms and, to ensure the best yield of their high-end rice, provided the farmers with everything they needed, including plenty of chemicals. They managed every step of the chain, from seed to shipping, and the business grew globally. He often visited their operations personally, but in the 1990s, one of those site visits changed everything.
“I saw a local farmer with an insecticide backpack and carrying a baby in front,” Narula recalls. “That pretty much changed my life. There were lots of birth defects and I didn’t want to be part of that anymore.”
Because Narula’s company had a lean structure, he only had to consult his conscience before revolutionizing the entire business. From that day forward, they were a chemical-free company. The organic operation proved even more profitable and grew into Urmatt, Ltd., a fully integrated global agricultural organization that provides organic rice, chia and coconut products around the world. Through Urmatt’s agricultural projects, thousands of family farmers earn higher incomes and support for their labors than previous generations, allowing them to build schools and live prosperous lives.
Urmatt is continually evolving, with each project leading to at least three more, each a zero- waste operation. His next project, to improve Urmatt’s coconut operation, is a perfect example: Narula’s team noticed the plight of the migrant workers who scale the trees to harvest the coconuts. Many live in abject poverty, leaving their families behind in hope of finding income. Narula and his partners plan to build homes for the harvesters and are working with the farmers to add profitable crops that grow among their trees, tripling the yield from one plot of land, raising wages and improving life for everyone involved.
“It’s an endless chain,” Narula says. “Each time you create a project, three more emerge.”
For his latest projects, Narula has joined forces with other members of YPO around the world, creating projects in Thailand and as far away as Sierra Leone and Argentina. He is particularly proud of a project led by several members of YPO Next Generation, Hilltribe Organics, under WPO mentorship. Five interns from the YPO internship program helped launch the project, giving a remote, indigenous people in north Thailand a chance to eradicate poverty by doing what they do best: raise chickens. Their Hilltribe organic eggs sell for a premium in the best stores of Thailand. Hilltribe has created a legacy in that small community as well as within YPO.
Each new project reaffirms Narula’s commitment to conducting business that benefits everyone in the chain and gives a hand up to hard working people often overlooked. It also reaffirms a message he shares with fellow members, “You can make a lot of money while doing the right thing.You do not have to take everything off the table to make a profit.”