Empowering Women through Yellow Powder

What do Dalma, Macha Ghanta, Malai Curry, and Odia Meetha Khechudi have in common? You might get a clue from the term “Odia” used in the nomenclature of one of these dishes. Well, yes, you are right; these are the names of famous dishes from the State of Odisha. Apart from sharing the same land of origin, these dishes share another commonality that is also the secret ingredient for the recipe of success of this Self Help Group from the Jajpur District of Odisha which has become an Aatmanirbhar Enterprise with the support of the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.

This secret ingredient is none other than the yellow powder found in almost every Indian household i.e. turmeric. It is this turmeric powder that motivated Banashree Mahapatra, Bijayanee Mohapatra, Manashi Mohapatra, Manorana Mohapatra, Suchitra Mohapatra & Manamayee Mohapatra to come together and form Siba Baba Brahma Kumari Self Help Group on 12th July 2007.

Earlier, the SHG members were a part of the Mission Shakti Programme in Odisha and used to make incense sticks (Agarbattis) and turmeric powder. They realized the market potential of turmeric processing and gradually shifted their entire focus to the processing of raw turmeric to make turmeric powder. This shift led to the genesis of their own brand “Shakti” dedicated to turmeric powder processing.

The process of manufacturing turmeric powder from the processing of raw turmeric is a multi-layered process that involves procurement of raw turmeric from the local market, preparation & drying of the raw turmeric in the sunlight and grinding of the dried turmeric in the flour mill to produce turmeric powder which is then packaged for commercial sale.

Siba Baba Brahma Kumari SHG received the seed capital grant of Rs. 40,000 as a loan under the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme through their National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) structure on 31st August 2021. The seed capital amount is given as a grant to the SHG federation through the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM). The SHG federation is providing this amount as a loan to the members of SHG for working capital and the purchase of small tools and equipments.

Due to lack of machinery in the past, the SHG relied on the local mill for the grinding of their product which was a time-consuming process. Now, with the seed capital support under the PMFME Scheme, Siba Baba Brahma Kumari SHG is in the process of purchasing a machine for grinding of turmeric and a packaging machine to enhance the packaging quality of their product.

The seed capital support will increase the production capacity of this Aatmanirbhar Enterprise to meet the soaring market demand for turmeric powder. The SHG is expanding its product portfolio to chilli, coriander and cumin powder. The members are planning to venture into the e-commerce space with the brand name “Shanti” and are in the process of tying up with the wholesale dealer in the district.

From “Shakti” to “Shanti”, the women of Siba Baba Brahma Kumari SHG aim to inspire other SHG workers to join hands with them and work with them in their enterprise. The SHG received the Best Self Help Group Award in 2007 from Odisha Ajivika Mission and at block level in 2008 for regular bookkeeping and repayment. Operating in a 10×12 ft. room from the house of one of the members’, the SHG currently sells turmeric powder at the Gram Panchayat local market and has been able to generate annual revenue of about Rs. 3,60,000 for FY 2020-21.