Millets made the women of this village in Haryana self-reliant, 300 women got employment

We had told you the story of GEGGLE, a company of Uttarakhand that makes millets products, which makes many products from millets ranging from cakes, cookies, idli-dosa to bread. Today we bring to you the story of Sunita Yadav, a woman from a small village in Haryana, who is not only making products from millets, but is also making dozens of women self-reliant by involving them in work like organic farming and mushroom production.

This small group of just 10 women has now become an FPO and 300 women are living a life of respect by joining it. Sunita Devi talked in detail with Kisan of India correspondent Akshay Dubey about her success in millets products and the challenges she faced along the way.

Millet products: from laddus to namkeen

Sunita Yadav, head of Bawaniya Gaurav Self Help Group, is not only self-reliant herself, but she has also made 300 women of the village self-reliant by linking them with self-employment. Her group is making various products from millets i.e. coarse grains and selling them in the market, which is not only earning income for women, but people are also getting healthy options. This self-help group is making many products like ragi ke laddu, millet ke laddu, chips, namkeen, which is an unmatched combination of taste and health.

Apart from this, Sunita makes pickles of mango, chilli, gooseberry and many other things. She says that her group makes all kinds of pickles and it is available throughout the year.

Promotion of organic farming

Sunita not only makes millets products, but she is also helping women farmers in organic farming of millets. She says that she asks women to do farming in an organic way, because millets grown in this way sell more in the market and also get a good price. Sunita says that instead of urea, she puts earthworm manure in the field and sprays Jeevamrit. She believes that organic farming is the need of the hour and in the coming times, organic farming will be more, because it is good for the health of both the soil and the people.

Women’s self-help group

Sunita’s self-help group is not limited to just making millets products, but the women associated with it are doing many types of work, such as they make earthworm manure themselves, have set up a cow dung gas plant, are doing animal husbandry and also make Jeevamrit themselves and spray it in the fields. That is, here every work is done only by women.

Sunita further says that if any woman wants to move forward in this field, we will definitely help her, so that no one else has to face the challenges she faced and they can rise at their level.

Process of taking membership of Self Help Group

Sunita has also been honored with the Progressive Farmer Award for promoting millets products and organic farming. Sunita tells that initially there were only 10 women in her self help group, but gradually people started joining and today 300 women have joined it and now their FPO (Farmers Producers Organization) has been formed. If any woman wants to join this group, she can get its membership by registering for Rs 100.

Market of Millets: Challenges and Solutions

Sunita tells that her path to success was not easy. Initially when she started making products, the sales were not very good. There was no market. She had to face challenges related to marketing. But later she took marketing training from Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Apart from this, she also got help from the Agriculture Department and NABARD. Krishi Vigyan Kendra provided material and training to her group under a project. Not only this, they helped in getting the benefits of every scheme.

The first two years were difficult, but now there is no problem of marketing. Now her products are also available online. She has got online registration done as well as FSSAI registration done and has also got GST number.

Profit percentage in millets products

About cost and profit, Sunita Yadav says that when you start any work afresh in the beginning, the cost is high, but it gets covered gradually. She had initially invested one lakh rupees in this business, but gradually she got five lakhs instead of one. It is clear from her words that if you do not get immediate profit in the beginning, then do not panic, you will definitely get it after some time.

Benefits of Millets

Sunita also mentions the health benefits of millets. She says that many people are allergic to wheat, such people can easily eat grains like millet and ragi. It also helps in reducing weight. Women like Sunita are helping in furthering the mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he has talked about promoting millets. 

Millets, also known as coarse grains, include bajra, jowar, ragi, kangni, kodo, kutki, etc. In the last few decades, this healthy grain was lost somewhere amid the increasing demand for wheat and rice, but after declaring last year i.e. 2023 as the International Year of Millets, millets are becoming very popular among the people.

Many awareness campaigns were also run by the central and state governments. GST was also reduced to promote millets products. Only 5 percent GST is levied on it instead of 18 percent. The Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi himself has enumerated the benefits of millets on many platforms. In the G-20 conference held in 2023, many millet dishes were also served to foreign guests. Not only this, to promote the cultivation of millets in many states, the government also gave them seeds for free.

Millets are a treasure of health

You must be wondering why millets are being promoted so much, then know that it is more nutritious than wheat and rice and it is a traditional grain of India. Millets contain a lot of nutrients like calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, fiber, vitamin-B-6 etc. Also, these millets, which have the status of superfood, can be grown even in poor agricultural climatic regions. They also require less fertilizer, water and pesticides. Apart from this, cultivation of coarse grains also helps in reducing carbon footprint.