TOPIC : Rice hulled by women now retailed across outlets in two states – Jharkhand and West Bengal
When Ghasni Devi and her four neighbours of Pasanga village in Gumla, Jharkhand began a rice hulling self-help group, they did not expect their hulled rice to reach the shelves of supermarkets.
With the help of Smart Power India and MLINDA, the energy service company (ESCO) working to improve energy access in Gumla, the hulled rice produced in Gumla is now available across two premium stores – one in West Bengal and the other in Ranchi, Jharkhand. There are currently 5 women self-help groups producing good quality hulled rice using the locally grown produce.
The Arambagh Food Mart, a renowned departmental chain across West Bengal has already bought 1150 kgs of hulled rice from the rice hullers of Gumla.
‘Field and Forest’, a signature store which specializes in selling natural and organic products, have also begun stocking hulled rice, since it is organically grown and has little to no pesticide content in it.
MLINDA and SPI are now working on exploring new market linkages in big retail stores such as Spencer, More and Reliance Fresh in West Bengal and Bihar.
Watch this video testimonial of women from Pasanga on how improved electricity access helped them to use rice hullers to process their produce and earn better prices for their produce.