In a village near Ranchi, Jharkhand, a woman named Sarita has turned an everyday fruit, the jackfruit, into a thriving business. Her venture now records an annual turnover of Rs 23 lakh, and she has created livelihoods for eight other women working alongside her.
An idea born from wasted jackfruit
Sarita says jackfruit trees are extremely common in her area. Travel through almost any rural part of Ranchi and jackfruit trees are everywhere, but much of the produce used to go to waste because the local market simply could not absorb it all. That gap gave Sarita the idea of storing and processing jackfruit instead of letting it rot, turning a surplus crop into a source of income.
Government scheme provided subsidy and training
Sarita's idea got a boost from a government food processing scheme, which provided her both a subsidy and training in processing. She then brought together 8 other women, and the group started packing jackfruit-based products into cans. That same team now runs the entire operation with her.
From pickles to chips, now selling in Mumbai and Delhi
Sarita and her team make a range of jackfruit products, including pickle, chips and papad. The pickle itself comes in several varieties, sweet, sour and mixed. Her products are no longer limited to Ranchi, they now sell well in Mumbai, Delhi and on Amazon, and some customers even carry her pickle abroad with them. That growing demand has helped push this year's turnover to Rs 23 lakh.
A changed life, with an MBA degree in Bengaluru
Sarita recalls a time when her children studied in a government school and a private school education felt like an unreachable dream. That has changed completely. She now sends her children to a private school, and is also funding an MBA degree in Bengaluru, with placements expected soon. Sarita says her own life has transformed a great deal from before, and the 8 women working with her are becoming financially empowered too.
