Shanta Singh of Ayari village in Balrampur District of Chhattisgarh, cultivated Jeeraphul rice for consumption at home. It was a common practice for her like many other women in the village. The aromatic rice is very popular in the Changro region and is an integral part of the region’s identity. However, women like Shanta Singh never thought of growing the rice commercially. However, she is now earning a significant amount of money through the cultivation and selling of the rice.
Shanta is a member of a Self Help Group called Parvati Mahila Swayam Sahayta Samuh and the SHG is associated with the Bihan scheme of the Chhattisgarh government. ‘Bihan’ is a scheme that provides livelihood opportunities to rural women. Shanta and the other women of the Self Help Group cultivate the rice and package it to sell in the market. They get training and support to carry out their activities successfully.
“Earlier we did not know that we can sell this rice at a high price in the market. People had no idea. It was used for consumption at home. But once we were informed about it we decided to reap the benefits. Today we are selling it for 70 rupees per kilo. This means a good amount of money for us.” Shanta says.
Shanta lives in a joint family and her husband is a government employee. She learnt about Bihan when a group of women visited her village to create awareness about the scheme and the district administration officials also told them how they can benefit from cultivating Jeeraphul rice. She got associated with Bihan through a Self Help Group and took up the trade of Jeeraphul rice.
The Jeeraphul variety of rice has a wide market because of its aroma and taste. This rice is used for the best delicacies and is considered a novelty. The high price of the rice has made it a popular crop among the farmers in recent times. It has brought prosperity to many families in the state. In Changro the rice was cultivated by traditional methods but now the farmers have adopted advanced methods taught to them by the agriculture department. This has resulted in increase is productivity as well as quality.
Shanta and her fellow members of the Self Help Group also buy the rice from other growers to process and package it at their mill. The rice mill was donated to them by the district administration. The mill is worth around 15 lakh rupees and it is entirely run by these women. This mill is changing their lives by making them more and more economically independent. Their rice is sold in various markets including Raipur, the capital of the state. These women consider the Jeeraphul rice as their lifeline now. They are grateful to the district administration for the support in the form of the mill. Besides, they are also glad that they were introduced to Bihan. They hope to grow their enterprise further with help from the government. For women like Shanta, Jeeraphul rice means a better future and prosperity.
