In slightly 18 months, Sushant Gaurav, a 2014-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Carrier (IAS), reworked the poverty-stricken district of Gumla in Jharkhand into a possible hub of monetary job centred round ragi (finger millet).
Posted as deputy commissioner (DC) between February 2022 and August 2023 in a district predominantly inhabited via the indigenous Adivasi communities and marked via a long time of Naxalite insurgency, he announced some game-changing interventions.
Essentially, Sushant led to a change in native agricultural practices via serving to 1000’s of farmers, in particular ladies, transition from water-guzzling paddy to a extra sustainable fashion of ragi cultivation. He empowered them to leverage that transition right into a self-sustaining industry alternative via serving to them promote ragi-based merchandise out and in of the state. Given its well being advantages, he additionally hired ragi to handle serious anaemia and malnutrition.
Earlier than his arrival, farmers within the district didn’t domesticate this ‘tremendous grain’. These days, there are roughly 30,000 farmers within the district rising this millet on greater than 30,000 acres and in large part promoting their harvest in the neighborhood, in step with the district’s agriculture division.
A few of these farmers also are a part of a a hit women-driven Farmer Manufacturer Organisation (FPO) known as the ‘Baghima-Palkot Farmer Manufacturer Corporate Ltd’ promoting quite a few ragi-based merchandise.
Chatting with The Higher India, Bhagwati Devi, a 40-year-old ragi farmer and member of this FPO, says, “Our organisation [the] Baghima-Palkot Farmer Manufacturer Corporate, recently makes quite a few pieces out of ragi together with laddoo, cookies, aggregate, khajuria, nimki, bhujia, chips and flour. Due to the intervention of DC Sushant, we promote a few of these pieces to the native management, in particular for his or her ICDS (Built-in Kid Building Scheme), and more than a few native markets too. On the Millet Cafe in Gumla, we additionally serve samosa, pakoda, and so forth.”
An reliable intently related to the FPO claims, “Since Might 2023, now we have earned roughly Rs 15 lakh via retail gross sales and Rs 28 lakh via promoting meals pieces to the native management. Our corporate has generated a complete earnings of round Rs 43 lakh.”
For his efforts, Sushant used to be awarded the Top Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Management within the “holistic building via aspirational district programme — general growth with particular focal point on saturation way” class in April 2023.
What’s extra, this initiative used to be additionally introduced on the Harvard Industry Faculty previous this yr via Avinash Kumar, a Mahatma Gandhi Nationwide Fellow on the Govt of India’s Ministry of Talent Building. Chatting with the Nationwide Press previous this yr, Avinash claimed that the institute has additionally commenced a case learn about at the ‘Gumla fashion’ and it’s going to be circulated amongst different industry colleges and utilized in coaching modules for bureaucrats.
Lay of the land
Positioned within the southern a part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, about 100 km clear of Ranchi, Gumla district is marked via a extremely undulating and rugged terrain consisting of flat-topped hills. What Sushant discovered right here used to be a poverty-stricken populace predominantly depending on rain-fed agriculture. He famous that because of the loss of irrigation amenities, infrastructure, medical inputs and advertising, nearly all of the households engaged in agriculture don’t earn sufficient to supply fundamental prerequisites to their households.
“About 85% of the inhabitants has agriculture as the main supply of livelihood, amongst whom 90% are small and marginal farmers. They predominantly have interaction in paddy cultivation even if the soil prerequisites don’t in point of fact beef up it. What we discovered used to be acidic soil with a mixture of crimson (soil) and laterite (soil). The topography is marked via delicate and steep slopes leading to numerous floor run-off (unconfined drift of water over the bottom floor) and soil erosion,” he says.
“This is a part of the legacy of the Inexperienced Revolution the place an emphasis used to be made on rising wheat and paddy. Because of this, what we noticed with regards to meals behavior had been locals eating rice-intensive diets. Within the mornings, as an example, folks would devour paani bhaat, a neighborhood delicacy containing leftover rice soaked in water in a single day with a splash of salt. There used to be a scarcity of protein and no scope for roughage or greens of their diets,” he provides.
Discovering the answer in ragi
Ragi, identified in the neighborhood as mandua, is fed on in Jharkhand “in numerous meals arrangements equivalent to porridge, chapati, cake, cookies, kurha, and sweetmeat,” in step with this 2020 paper revealed within the World Magazine of Present Microbiology and Implemented Sciences.
“Along with those, boiled and malted germinated grains are used as a meals complement to babies and pregnant ladies because it does now not shape acids and are simple to digest,” the paper provides.
Going additional, ragi may be “a drought-tolerant and extremely dietary crop which has an financial price and productiveness within the vary of main cereals.” Given its reputation in the neighborhood, dietary price and suitability to native climate prerequisites, ragi gave the look of a sensible choice to exchange paddy.
As Bhagwati explains, “Up to now, we used to domesticate ragi however we sooner or later left it in the back of and the plants we did finally end up rising we might promote somewhat than devour it at house. As soon as DC Sir re-introduced ragi, he defined some great benefits of cultivating and eating it.”
On a coverage point, former district programme officer (DPO) Sujit Bari remembers how in early April 2022, the DC organised a gathering with the district agricultural division, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) and the social welfare division. At this assembly, Sujit remembers the DC emphasising how Gumla used to be affected by serious malnutrition and anaemia.
All the way through this assembly, Sujit additionally remembers how the DC additionally directed officers in those 3 departments to seek out roughly 5,000 farmers, in particular ladies, who had been fascinated by cultivating ragi, and inspire them into in truth making that transition.
“We went to every block handing over his message via self-help teams (SHGs) related to JSLPS. Following this outreach, about 5,500 ladies farmers volunteered to develop ragi. Even if those farmers had some working out of cultivating ragi, they weren’t aware of one of the more moderen technical strategies. Earlier than sowing started, we skilled them in those new ways with the help of a personal company and the government-run Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). Presently, we dispensed top quality ragi seeds, organised are living demonstrations in every Block and supplied on-field coaching on right kind harvesting processes,” remembers Sujit.
In the meantime, Sushant remembers that it wasn’t tricky for them to handle the general public on some great benefits of rising and eating ragi given the actual well being advantages related to it.
“However replacing long-standing behavior is a hard workout. Amongst different issues, we might put across messages like how ragi comprises top calcium content material which permits kids to play with extra power. Given how sports activities is one medium to flee the worries of poverty, it will be of their easiest hobby to let their kids devour ragi,” says Sushant.
To offer farmers the arrogance to make that transition clear of paddy to ragi, he lists the stairs that had been taken.
1) Assurances from the collectorate that their ragi harvest will probably be purchased at a just right worth and that it’s going to be processed and dispensed to kids and girls of their communities.
2) Determination to distribute seeds totally free: This addresses a key a part of the farmer’s enter prices. In March 2022, the management positioned orders for 20,000 kg of high quality ragi seeds in keeping with soil suitability from the Birsa Agricultural College in Ranchi and the Nationwide Seed Company (NSC). “Upon receiving the seeds, we dispensed them to the farmers freed from value,” says Sushant.
3) Distributing the seeds on time: “As we had been coaching them at the technique of rising ragi, we dispensed the seeds too on 15 April. Our sowing season started in June,” says Sushant.
4) “Our farmers had been rising weary of the overdependence on restricted irrigation infrastructure, rainfall and unpredictability of cultivating paddy. They sought after to be unfastened of those issues from rising paddy and wanted the arrogance to make that transition away,” he provides.
5) Finally, the district management’s choice to empower ladies farmers locally “who had the fervour to fearlessly do one thing new,” notes Sushant.
In only a subject of weeks, earlier than the Kharif sowing season started in 2022/23, Sushant remembers how they’d about 5,500 farmers who volunteered to develop ragi of their fields. In the meantime, the management additionally labored against growing drip irrigation and sun carry techniques, and renovating ponds to enhance the state of irrigation infrastructure in Gumla.
“Because the farmers reached the midway mark of the manufacturing degree (‘baali thootne laga’ or when the grain starts to wreck out of the husk), we organised common discipline visits to give an explanation for to farmers that this can be a finer seed selection and that in contrast to typical ragi plants you are going to now not get giant grains. With out the emergence of huge grains, farmers incessantly really feel they’ve suffered a loss with regards to quantity of manufacturing or that the grain has now not been harvested correctly. As an alternative, we defined the houses of this finer number of ragi grain they had been harvesting,” explains Sushant.
“Going additional, we defined to them the type of pests that can assault their plants and the right way to prevent them. When it comes to price, we additionally gave assurances at the MSP (minimal beef up worth) they’d obtain for those plants from the govt. and that they may be able to promote those ragi grains for just about double the associated fee in the event that they’re formally deemed to be natural. All the way through those discipline visits, we additionally raised consciousness in regards to the forms of natural pesticides (neem-based), insecticides and fertilisers they may be able to supply from state-run cooperatives at subsidised charges,” he provides.
All the way through their first discipline talk over with earlier than the harvest, officers informed farmers to move their harvest to their respective cluster-level federations (CLFs) within the space. Every CLF has about 100 participants minimal comprising other village organisations (VOs) and neighbourhood self-help teams (SHGs). Native communities are neatly represented in those CLFs and their succeed in is intensive.
As soon as those grains are minimize, farmers incessantly unfold them at the street for the de-husking (isolating the husk from the grain) procedure. Automobiles are incessantly hired to run over those husks and damage them, following which the grains emerge. However acquiring grains on this way has a destructive affect on their marketplace price on account of the presence of mud and small stones.
“We confident the farmers that they must promote their harvest to us supplied they may be able to stay them freed from impurities like mud. We guarantee them of a marketplace for their produce. With State and Central government-run budget, we established platforms in every village to show farmers the right way to unfold the husked grains at the ground, dry them and separate the grain from it,” he says.
“As according to the district agriculture division, we higher web acreage underneath ragi via 219% in 2022/23. We additionally noticed a 270% enlargement in ragi manufacturing in 2022/23 in comparison to the yr earlier than. In 2023/24, we don’t have the information to be had and don’t wish to speculate. However the general land cultivated underneath ragi in 2023/24 has crossed 30,000 acres — a 10-time growth within the space coated underneath this crop — in step with our estimates,” he provides.
Empowering ladies
In Gumla, as farmers shifted from rising paddy to cultivating ragi, the district management shaped a women-led crew named Baghima-Palkot Farmer Manufacturer Corporate Ltd. This crew, consisting of about 500 ladies, used to be tasked with purchasing ragi from native farmers, making sure its high quality, and buying just right ragi seeds for the next season.
Those 500 ladies had been additionally some of the 5,500 farmers who first of all volunteered to develop ragi. “Every of those farmers invested Rs 1,500 of their very own cash to boost capital for the FPO,” notes Sujit Bari, the previous DPO in Gumla district.
Extra importantly, the management gave the FPO seed cash to acquire those ragi plants at a just right worth from those 5,500 farmers. After arriving at this worth, those CLFs procured the ragi harvest from the farmers.
“Farmers in Jharkhand would obtain a minimal beef up worth (MSP) of any place between Rs 16 and Rs 17 according to kg for his or her paddy (rice) harvest. In the meantime, they might get any place between Rs 34 to Rs 35 according to kg for ragi which supplies them further source of revenue. We didn’t advise them to fully surrender paddy cultivation. As an alternative, we satisfied them to domesticate ragi within the upland spaces whilst proceeding to domesticate paddy within the lowland spaces,” notes Sujit.
In the meantime, this FPO delegated the method of shopping this harvest from the primary set of five,500-odd farmers to 18 native cluster-level federations and the SHGs running underneath them.
Growing price out of ragi
Now, the query used to be what would the FPO do with all this harvest? On the native APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketplace Committee) mandi, there used to be a godown which used to be defunct.
“The district management gave the FPO a grant of Rs 50 lakh to ascertain a processing unit at this godown measuring 10,000 sq. ft. The godown used to be divided into necessarily 4 portions — keeping up, processing, packaging and handing over ragi-based inventory merchandise. Additionally, this godown used to be given to the FPO freed from value with out a hire to be paid. To energy this processing unit, we put in sun panels,” says Sujit.
“At this godown, we put in a small device that will show to those ladies the right way to grind the grain into flour (atta-chakki device). As well as, we additionally put in a bigger mechanised plant which might generate one metric tonne of ragi flour according to day. We additional supplied coaching to the participants of this FPO on operating this mechanised processing plant to procedure flour, the method of packaging that ragi flour, and so forth,” explains Sushant.
“To marketplace this flour, we engaged the CLFs underneath which native SHGs perform. Every CLF invested Rs 50,000, purchased the ragi flour popping out of the processing plant and advertised them of their respective spaces. Grocery retail outlets in Gumla and different districts had been additionally inspired to shop for this flour and promote it of their respective spaces. If the reaction to the ragi flour used to be just right, they might get extra,” notes Sujit.
Alternatively, the district management knew that promoting ragi flour wasn’t going to be sufficient. So as to add price, they skilled the FPO participants operating the processing centre to make ragi laddoos and different snacks and dispensed them to the native Anganwadi centres.
Days after the FPO began making ragi laddoos, there used to be a large mela (competition) on the Gandhi Maidan in neighbouring Simdega in November 2022. The FPO had already began promoting packaged ragi flour however ragi laddoos had been already beginning to achieve traction.
“Inside hours, their whole inventory used to be offered out. This gave them genuine self assurance,” says Sushant.
“For higher publicity, we additionally took them to a Millet Conclave in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. On the conclave, they offered Rs 50,000 price of laddoos in simply someday. With the good fortune of laddoos, we made up our minds to expand extra merchandise out of ragi. Following this tournament, DC Sir proposed the outlet of a ‘Millet Cafe’ in Gumla. Right here you’ll to find cookies, samosa and peetha product of ragi, but even so a are living kitchen the place you’ll get baked pieces product of ragi,” notes Sujit.
Within the period in-between, extra women-led CLFs reached out to the district management speaking about how they too had been in a position to making such merchandise. Their recommendation to those ladies used to be to paintings as collaborators and now not competition. They collaborated with FPO to make different snack pieces like ragi-based thekua, nimki, and bhujia. “We introduced those entities in combination they usually converged into one entity. These days, they produce those snacks on a larger scale,” says Sushant.
“In the second one yr of this initiative, we recommended those ladies to not mass release those merchandise within the nationwide marketplace given the serious festival. They want time to develop. We recommended them to concentrate on rural markets and assist facilitate trade in meals behavior which might in flip cement call for for his or her merchandise in those portions,” he provides.
Making this a self-sustainable industry
The district management handled 2022–23 as an illustration yr.
“Farmers didn’t undergo monetarily, rising ragi required fewer agricultural inputs and all their inventory used to be kind of purchased out. What’s extra, they didn’t must shuttle lengthy distances to promote their produce. All their produce used to be necessarily purchased in-house. In 2023–24, round 30,000 farmers got here to us with their want to develop ragi. We reached out to Karnataka College and paid them Rs 20 lakh simply to shop for top class high quality ragi seeds for the following season,” says Sushant.
After the primary spherical of seed investment, the district management informed the FPO that there wouldn’t be every other to shop for this yr’s harvest. “Following the preliminary injection of seed cash into the FPO closing season, these days those ladies are purchasing produce directly from the farmers, managing their e book of accounts, getting ready for the next season, and are even growing particular person financial savings for themselves. It is a a hit monetary and sustainable fashion as neatly,” claims Sushant.
Fighting malnutrition and anaemia with ragi
Each and every month, the district management started establishing extensive screening for serious and average malnutrition and anaemia in kids and pregnant and lactating moms. Because of this, they advanced real-time knowledge for malnutrition and anaemia within the district.
“After we known the youngsters and girls in peril, we dispensed ragi laddoos, snacks and different nutritious pieces to them on an instantaneous foundation on the Anganwadi centres and their houses. Ladies who had simply given start got those ragi laddoos and different varied ragi-based snacks to take house and expand the dependancy of eating those meals pieces,” he says.
“On the Anganwadi centres, we additionally dispensed pieces like ragi ka halwa. We also are the one district in India the place 70% of the full tuberculosis (TB) sufferers had been screened, known and given Poshan (meals) Kits to enhance their immunity. We added ragi parts to those Poshan Kits,” he says.
Going additional, Sushant claims that over 400 fashion Anganwadi centres had been arrange supplied with virtual haemoglobin metres, cutting edge blue MTC (Malnutrition Remedy Card), peak enlargement charts, and follow-up playing cards.
“Every college has additionally been given a weight chart and now we have published a peak metre in those instructional establishments. What’s extra, now we have tasked directors there to care for an up to date profile of the scholars enrolled there. For his or her noon foods, now we have even added pieces like drumstick leaves of their daal,” he explains.
“As well as, now we have known 52 forms of native leafy greens. And relying on what’s to be had in a given panchayat, now we have painted them at the partitions in their respective Panchayat Bhavan and indexed out their advantages. Within the struggle in opposition to malnutrition, now we have taken small but vital steps, which could have an actual affect in 5 or ten years down the road,” he provides.
Bhagwati Devi, a 40-year-old ragi farmer and member of the FPO remembers, “Within the little while he used to be posted right here, DC Sir has accomplished nice paintings for the neighborhood. We’ve got left in the back of the previous tactics of farming. These days, we’re seeing the actual advantages of cultivating ragi.”
“Past farming, alternatively, we are actually operating a industry the place we will be able to promote the goods comprised of the ragi we develop. These days, there are 40 ladies running with me, who had been caught at house, unemployed and would do ordinary jobs earlier than we began this corporate (FPO). The paintings we’re doing these days has given us self-respect. No longer best do I develop ragi on my land but in addition paintings on the processing plant making merchandise out of this ragi and promoting them in the neighborhood. Ragi has now change into an integral a part of our identification, now not simply in our district, however in other places too,” she provides.
However Sushant is fast to show that these kinds of projects, in particular the only centred round ragi, had been a workforce effort characterized via consistency in effort and readability of objective.
“That is imaginable if we will be able to all paintings along side the vital rigour, willpower and self-discipline,” he says. It used to be little wonder that he turned into the primary ever IAS officer from the state to win the Top Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Management.
(Edited via Pranita Bhat; Pictures courtesy District Management, Gumla)