Each harvest season, Indian farmers face the identical problem: what to do with the surplus produce that doesn’t fetch a good worth available in the market?

Whereas a lot of it dangers going to waste, some enterprising farmers are turning this surplus into alternative. By adopting small-scale, low-cost processing methods, they don’t seem to be solely decreasing post-harvest losses but in addition creating new revenue streams proper on the farm gate.

Listed below are 5 such farmers who’re exhibiting how easy processing can rework the economics of agriculture:

1) Kanchan Verma

A BA graduate from Madhya Pradesh, Kanchan Verma turned to farming after marriage. Initially cultivating greens, wheat, and maize, she started turmeric farming in 2020, which proved extremely worthwhile.

After harvesting, she processes the rhizomes into turmeric powder by way of washing, boiling, drying, peeling, and grinding. The 15-day course of reduces 100 quintals to simply 20 however fetches much better returns.

She now earns round Rs 3 lakh per acre yearly towards enter prices of solely Rs 50,000. Promoting immediately from her farm in one-kilo packets at Rs 150 per kg, she meets sturdy native demand together with her natural produce.

2) Rani Sunny

At 57, Rani Sunny from Idukki turned jackfruit right into a enterprise alternative by creating a variety of value-added merchandise. From a small room close to her home, she developed dried jackfruit, jackfruit powder, frozen tender jackfruit, pulp, and even seed-based gadgets.

These versatile merchandise are additional used to make dietary supplements, cutlets, and burger patties. Together with her enterprise, Eden Jackfruit Merchandise, she has turned innovation right into a worthwhile enterprise.

At this time, Rani earns as much as Rs 8 lakh yearly, proving how worth addition and creativity can rework a humble fruit right into a thriving enterprise mannequin.

3) Ninad, Achyut, and Latika Patil

In Maharashtra, the Patil household — Ninad, Achyut, and Latika — run Gold Orchards, the place they use photo voltaic drying machines to course of chikoo into progressive merchandise.

In contrast to conventional solar drying, which takes three to 4 days, photo voltaic dryers full the method in simply at some point whereas extending shelf life from three to 9 months.

The fruits retain 90 per cent of their vitamins, stay tender and candy-like, and are simpler to retailer and transport. This innovation elevated effectivity and enabled farmers to scale manufacturing from 50 kg to 250 kg yearly.

Because of this, Gold Orchards has seen gross sales develop by 40 % yearly.

4) Ashok and Kusum Gade

In Jalgaon, Maharashtra, Ashok and his spouse Kusum turned bananas right into a thriving enterprise by creating value-added merchandise. Confronted with unstable markets, they experimented and innovated banana biscuits utilizing banana, ghee, and sugar.

Alongside this, they produce chips, jam, candies, papad, sev, and laddus. Fully shifting away from promoting uncooked bananas, they now promote 200–350 kg of biscuits weekly, incomes Rs 50 lakh yearly by way of their enterprise, Sankalp Enterprises.

5) Rajesh Oza

In October 2021, Rajesh Oza launchedTribalveda in Bera, aiming to scale back farmers’ losses from quick-spoiling jamun. Initially, convincing them was tough, however his clear strategy — procuring produce, securing truthful costs, and returning income — constructed belief.

Quickly, tribal girls joined him in processing jamun into value-added merchandise by way of cleansing, grading, sorting, storing, and packaging. This initiative enabled them to earn thrice greater than earlier than.

At this time, his start-up has grown right into a model with Rs 2 crore in income, empowering the local people whereas creating sustainable livelihoods.