India's push to promote millets in everyday diets is now showing results at the grassroots, and Renu Singh from Gaurigunj in Amethi is a clear example of that shift. She has built a small business around coarse grains like maize and bajra, turning them into a range of food products sold under her own group's brand.
From namkeen to peda, dozens of boxes made every day
Renu Singh buys coarse grains from the local market and uses them to prepare namkeen, peda, laddu, biscuits, patti and flour. On an average day, she prepares 8 to 10 boxes of different products, including peda, barfi, laddu and namkeen. Before selling anything, she puts her group's logo on the packaging so customers can easily recognise her products.
Self-help group and Prerna Canteen add to her earnings
Renu says joining a self-help group has given her business a real boost. Alongside her millet-based products, she also runs the Prerna Canteen, which comfortably brings in sales of Rs 500 to Rs 1000 a day. According to Renu, her millet products alone earn her Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 every month.
Millets seen as a shield against disease
Renu explains that coarse grains are also considered highly beneficial for health. She says that if these millet-based products are made part of daily diets, people can stay away from many illnesses.
Other village women are finding work too
Renu says the business has created jobs for other women in the village as well, not just for her. Village women come to her, prepare their own share of the products, and then sell them on their own terms, earning an economic benefit and building financial independence in the process.
