Tag: Processing

Navnoor Kaur

Read Full Story

A SPOON FULL OF JAGGERY- Navnoor Kaur  

This is a story of a young entrepreneur who is one of those successful young millennials who is setting a new standard for young people today. Before beginning her career as an entrepreneur, Navnoor Kaur worked for a total of three years as an employee in the corporate sector. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from IMT Ghaziabad. She was born into a service family from Ludhiana, Punjab. She is the first-generation entrepreneur in her family & has always been quite enthusiastic about the prospect of contributing to a socially impactful agricultural initiative throughout her career. She planned to take the initiative to go from refined sugar to jaggery with the assistance and backing of her family, friends, and mentors. Jaggery’s heavenly taste is what makes it popular. However, this naturally sweet food has enormous health benefits.

Navnoor’s curiosity led her to visit a number of jaggery plants, where she became aware of the presence of adulterated and unbranded jaggery in the market, which was produced under unsanitary circumstances, as well as the use of chemicals in the process of cleaning sugarcane juice.

But since there has been an abrupt change toward healthy living, she felt the need to add jaggery instead of sugar in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, persuading others that this was the healthier option was the true challenge.

In the year 2019, Navnoor conceptualized her brand “Jaggercane,” and in the year 2021, she started testing the samples of her brand. After an overwhelming response, she began processing and selling her brand. Her plan was to encourage people to switch to jaggery, which is a more nutritious sweetener that, even when consumed in small amounts, may provide more than thirty percent of a person’s recommended daily iron consumption.
Navnoor and her co-founder, Kaushal Singh, who holds an MBA in Agribusiness from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, had the vision to transform jaggery from a “sad packaged good” sitting in the back of department stores into a trendy good that catches the eyes of the people and finds its way into the people’s hearts. Navnoor visited Kaushal Singh’s farm & found it to be very hygenic.

Using jaggery as a base, we boost the advantages of the product by adding nutritious value additions such as nuts and seeds, stated Navnoor and Kaushal.

They do not make any sacrifices in terms of quality and are certain that their goods are superior to those of their rivals due to the sanitary manner in which they are processed and the use of okra roots for the cleaning of sugarcane.
The results of their poll led them to the conclusion that most individuals do not like the taste of jaggery. Jaggercane creates goods that have increased value, are tastier, are stylish and new age, and are suitable for people of all ages. These items may even be consumed on a regular basis as snacks.

The vision of Navnoor and Kaushal is to replace sugar with jaggery.
Both parties noted that there are two avenues via which they generate revenue: business-to-business and direct-to-consumer.
“Selling to other businesses enables us to get immediate payment, as does our practice of white labelling. We use that money to build our brand in the direct-to-consumer market, which is expensive to do on your own.
In addition to this, they said that “even though we would be using better sweetener choices in tea and coffee, the snacks would still include refined sugar.”
In addition, Jagger Cane provides a variety of really delightful snacks that are high in iron and protein and can satisfy your craving for something sweet while still being good for your health.

Featured Products:  

  • Organic Jaggery Cubes
  • Organic Jaggery Powder
  • Almond Illaichi Jaggery Crumbs
  • Pumpkin Seeds Jaggery Crumbs
  • Crunchy Jaggery Granola
  • Coconut Jaggery Crumbs
The company operates based on a social impact-driven business model, and its leadership is comprised of purpose-driven women. Additionally, the majority of the workforce that is responsible for producing and packaging the company’s goods is comprised of women.
On the other hand, Jaggercane was recognised by Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Minister of Punjab, as one of the emerging startups in the state of Punjab. Jaggercane is now one of the rising businesses in Punjab.

Challenges 

Due to the fact that Navnoor did not come from a business background, she was confronted with a number of obstacles when she began from scratch, and the financial expenditures associated with marketing and processing were significant.

Message for farmers:

There is a great deal of room for improvement in all aspects of agricultural work today. The trend these days is for people to go back to their origins. To meet the ever-increasing demand, farmers shouldn’t put all of their faith in MSPs but should instead concentrate on developing some innovative solutions.

Sangeeta Tomar

Read Full Story

A sibling duo tastes success by selling organic jaggery

You must have surely seen brothers and sisters fighting but have you also seen them working together for running an enterprise towards a business?
Sangeeta Tomar and Bhupinder Singh from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh are perfect examples of siblings who started a Venture together and have successfully reached new heights with their determination and grit.
Sangeeta and Bhupinder were born and brought up in Muzzafarnagar, Sangeeta who got married in the nearby village is well settled with her new family. The proceeding belt of Uttar Pradesh state is known to have the best quality sugarcane, though this crop is grown in other states as well the quality and tastes differ. The duo thought of growing sugarcane on 9.5 acres of land possessed by them and finally in 2019 they started the processing of products made from sugarcane under the name ‘Kisaan Agro- Products’.

List of products

  • Jaggery
  • Shakar
  • Desi Khand
  • Jamun Vinegar
A total of 12 products are produced from jaggery having different flavors which are made from authentic fruits rather than just the essence of Chocolate, Mango, Saunf, Elaichi, Ginger, Mix, Ajwayin, Dry fruit and Peanut jaggery.
Bhupinder Singh never took any training in this field but his ancestors used to cultivate sugarcane and produce Jaggery mostly in the state of Punjab. He didn’t just start practicing the same but understood the need of today’s consumers who wanted to eat small pieces of sugar after having their meal. He ideated on making flavored Jaggery into small pieces where 1 piece = 22 grams, which was easy to eat at a single time with either food or milk as a barfi and also this was far healthier than that being natural.
The technique of producing quality and tasty jaggery has been passed on from generations in our family- Bhupinder Singh
Sangeeta takes care of the marketing and carries out the regular inspection when he is not physically present at the production plant. A point of consideration is the usage of steel-infused machinery which is covered and no pollution occurs while production. Moreover, the products are machine made therefore there is no change in the taste and the adoption of proper measures the flavor is locked with the perfect taste to give for maximum customer satisfaction. The team distributes their products to 106 government stores and 37 private stores in Delhi.
The amount of sugarcane used per day is 125q and to complete this requirement they need to buy this crop from other farmers in their village. The process of making jaggery generally takes place from September to May but when the yield is affected by climatic factors it takes place from September to April only.

Farmer’s Background

Bhupinder Singh got retired in 2009 as an NSG commando from the Indian Army and then worked in a five-star hotel to attain experience in the food industry. In 2019 he decided to do something big from the traditional practices he learned in his village so that people would respect him. He also generated employment for the labourers working in his production plant and his field and also by buying sugarcane from other farmers.
Sangeeta Tomar who has completed her master’s in English major is now an independent woman. Her children are all settled abroad but she wanted to live in her village and practice farming.

Challenges

A quality product demands a consumer who knows the difference between an organic product and a duplicate product. There are farmers in his village who are making jaggery even in July by using sugar and chemicals. These farmers sell their product at a lesser price which attracts the buyer towards the chemical-made jaggery.

Achievements

  • Awarded by the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at Lucknow Gud Mohatsav in 2021
  • Awarded at Muzzafarnagar Gud Mohatsav in 2019

Message

He wants people to come back to agriculture. There are fewer jobs with more applicants and eventually it’s high time to start one’s own business rather than being unemployed. Moreover, agriculture is a diverse sector and there are various fields which one can choose as per their interests.

Plans

Bhupinder singh wants to directly sell his products to the consumers without the involvement of middlemen. Which will eventually lead towards more profit for him and similarly the consumer will have to pay less than what he is paying now. He would be able to buy the organic product at a lower price.

Navjot Singh Shergill

READ FULL STORY

A young farmer from abroad made a name for himself in Punjab by cultivating strawberries- Navjot Singh Shergill

Every person certainly thinks about progress and distinction in their field. This mindset can lift a person from earth to the skies. The success of each farmer depends upon his passion for doing innovative things that deviated from traditional methods.

This story is about one such farmer who deviated from standard farming and chose his own way in agriculture, which very few people were aware of. The name of this young farmer is Navjot Singh Shergill. He lives in Majal Khurad village in Patiala. The practices adopted by Navjot inspired many other farmers.

I always dreamt of doing something different in farming so that people should know me by my innovative work and not by my name. Hence, I decided to work on something new- Navjot Singh Shergill

Navjot Singh was born and raised in the UK, but as he grew older, he started to feel a lack because he missed the fragrance of the soil of his homeland. Therefore, he returned to his village in Punjab, India. Navjot pursued his MBA and then decided to get into agriculture on a large scale. He started Emu farming, but he did not succeed as there is a very low demand for Emu in Indian markets. He was disappointed by this failure but did not lose hope. He was encouraged by his elder brother Gurpreet Singh Shergill, a farmer in Punjab and known as The King of Flowers. Gurpreet bought a revolution in the cultivation of flowers in Punjab and proved what others could not even think of.

Navjot Singh followed his brother’s suggestion and started gaining information about strawberry cultivation. He gained enough knowledge from social media and informative websites and then decided to start practising in the fields to have more practical knowledge.

I then went to Pune, Maharashtra, for acquiring more understanding of strawberry cultivation and visited various fields and met many farmers- Navjot Singh Shergill

There he obtained all the information about Strawberries like, the climate in which they flourish, making more plants from a single one, its primary plant and from where did strawberries come in India.

In India, the mother plant is imported from California, and then the following plants are made from this mother plant- Navjot Singh Shergill

After returning from Pune, he investigated the environmental conditions in Punjab for strawberry cultivation. He then brought 14-15 thousand plants from Pune and cultivated them in a half-acre land. The total cost summed to Rs 2-3 lakhs. He felt great but was also afraid to fail because of the market issues. However, when the fruits ripened, and Navjot took them to the market for sale, the demand for this fruit was sky-high. All his fears were converted into happiness.

I was very much delighted by the fact that all the people who stopped me from doing this business were now praising me; it was a moment of realization and pride as it took a lot of my money and time- Navjot Singh Shergill

After the continuous success of strawberry cultivation, Navjot realized that some of the fruits remained small while others were fully ripened, and therefore their prices were significantly lower in the market. He felt the urgent need to solve this problem.

There is a saying, “When a person falls and rises, he achieves success on higher levels.”

Then, he started processing the small fruits.

I acquired training from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala in fruit processing and started making 2-3 items- Navjot Singh Shergill

The harvesting of strawberries required labour; hence, Navjot hired people from his village for harvesting, sorting and processing. By doing this, Navjot created employment opportunities for the people living in his village. Further, he installed machines for processing and therefore started making processed items in the field only. He named the brand Coco-Orchard.

He made the following items-

  • Strawberry Crush
  • Strawberry Jam
  • Strawberry Barfi

All the procedures from processing to packing are taken along under the supervision of Navjot. The Crush and Jam are packed in glass bottles, and when the products are exported to the other states, the bottles are packed in cardboard boxes. The trays of 2 kg cost at least 500-600 Rs and contain sections, each weighing 200-250 gm.

I then started visiting Kisan Mela’s and set up my own stalls there- Navjot Singh Shergill

The stalls gained Navjot a lot of marketing and recognition. People started to wait for his products in the upcoming Melas. He met a doctor from the agriculture field during the Mela; this is a very precious moment of his life. The doctor praised him because he is making processed items out of strawberries, while most people do not know anything about strawberry cultivation. Navjot has a Facebook page named Coco-Orchard, where he provides all the information about strawberry cultivation and markets his produce.

Navjot is now acknowledged enough by the people that he does not have to go to any market to promote his products.

FUTURE PLANS

He wants to grow his strawberry business to an extent where he can grow this delicious fruit in a 4-acre land. Navjot wants to export his produce to foreign countries like Dubai as there the demand for strawberries is higher.

MESSAGE

Farmers who wish to grow strawberries must acquire complete information regarding the same before they start cultivation. Strawberry cultivation requires a lot of money and time and cannot flourish without supervision.

Jyoti Gambhir

Read Full Story

A woman who not only dreamed about her goals but also dared to pursue them and achieve success — Jyoti Gambhir 

Jyoti Gambhir is a lady who not only had ambitions but also had the courage to pursue them and succeed.
If directed in the right direction at the right moment, your passion can help you reach the sky. Each and every one of us has goals and desires, but not everybody has the courage to pursue them. A person is hindered from achieving their goals by their fear of failing. Nevertheless, there are some who never give up.
One such woman, Jyoti Gambhir from Ludhiana, not only succeeded in turning her pastime into a business and achieving her goals, but also established herself as a role model for others.
Jyoti was always fond of cooking and thoroughly enjoyed it, but she exclusively did it in her kitchen at home. But there always comes a point when it’s time to start afresh.

Cooking was my hobby, and I tried cooking different food items at home for my family— Jyoti Gambhir

As they say, ”Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Jyoti’s daughter suffered from lactose intolerance and would often fall sick after she consumed outside food. Her daughter’s sickness made her resilient, and she started baking fresh biscuits for her daughter, as her biscuits were gluten free and delicious. They were well-liked by her daughter and family, who complimented her.
She became inspired and started working towards her lifelong quest of starting something of her own.  She made the decision to prepare additional biscuits to distribute to her family and friends. After an overwhelming response, Jyoti gave her a ray of hope and a pair of wings to fly. She felt motivated and thought she could provide quality biscuits and bakery items for those who suffer from gluten allergies, lactose intolerance or those who prefer organic food items.

I was overwhelmed & excited to see my family’s response to my new venture— Jyoti

Her husband gave his full support to her decision. She was on cloud seven after receiving the go-ahead signal. She was optimistic about it. She thought she had overcome all the challenges and she could see her path steered clear.
Then she considered taking culinary classes. As she began her research, she made the choice to start labelling her products under the name “Delicious Bites”. The ideal choice for her, given that she resided in Ludhiana City, was to get training from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). She didn’t waste a second in starting her training at PAU.

I started my training at PAU and then, later on, worked from home to prepare fresh batter for cakes & cookies. —Jyoti Gambhir

After completing her course, she started working part-time. Meanwhile, she came across Dr. Ramandeep Singh, Marketing Head at PAU, who has guided numerous farmers in finding success and is always willing to assist them in prospering. Dr. Singh was greatly impressed with Jyoti’s work when she gave him a detailed overview of her ambition and her lifelong quest to start something of her own. He saw the determination in her. So, then he introduced Jyoti to the PAU social media team and gave her strategic marketing ideas.
Dr. Ramandeep then considered promoting Jyoti’s initiative on the Apni Kheti app and then the Apni Kheti team crafted Jyoti’s story to highlight her for better reach and support.
Jyoti had countless responses to this, and she soon began to receive calls from customers all over the city who wanted to place orders.
She started expanding her business as she garnered more marketing knowledge, using resources from Punjab Agricultural University amidst this process. After a few weeks, when her business of baking cakes and cookies was well established, she took the decision to produce more products.  .

I started my Training at PAU and then, later on, worked from home- Jyoti Gambhir

As Delicious Bites began a new phase of growth, Jyoti began to package and label her products.
She makes 14–15 different kinds of bakery products out of these listed products:

  • Biscuits
  • Cakes
  • Bread
  • Jaggery
  • Sugarcane
  • Jam
  • Squash
The ingredients required to make biscuits are completely organic. Other goods that include jaggery are cakes, bread, and a variety of biscuits. She took a step forward, then built connections with other organic farmers and started purchasing the required ingredients directly from them.
Dr. Ramandeep made all of this possible by assisting Jyoti in establishing her career.
Currently, Jyoti manages all marketing and promotion of ‘Delicious Bites’ on Instagram and Facebook pages, which she also owns.
In 2019, she was rewarded with Rs. 16 lakhs from The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) for taking up a great initiative of preservative free products.
Jyoti Gambhir then became a partner with Celebrating Farmers Edge International (C.F.E.I.) PVT LTD in 2021, where she is assisting many farmers in the processing of naturally grown sugarcane into healthy products such as cane jam and alkaline cane juice tea. C.F.E.I. has already established two Farmer Interest Groups (F.I. G) through this company, and their goal is to establish 100 F.I. Gs by the end of the year with the assistance of SBI Coimbatore and IIT Mumbai, their technology partners. These farmer groups support, educate, and help them learn how to market their own products.

“Do not follow where the path may lead.” “Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

We all have dreams, but not many fulfil them. Mrs. Jyoti Gambhir is the proud owner of Delicious Bites and has managed to fulfil the quest of her lifelong dream by opening her first outlet in Maharashtra under the partnership with C.F.E.I. She plans on expanding her business further this year and is opening another outlet in her hometown, Ludhiana.
It all started with a home bakery, baking cakes and cookies and delivering orders. She gradually learnt about the various types of preferences people have and began baking vegan and gluten-free products. She went from selling 15 units per day to selling 1,000 units per day and launched her own brand. As they say,
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
In 2021, Delicious Bites, a preservative and chemical-free bakery, was the only bakery from Punjab selected by the Govt. of India to showcase their products in the Dubai Expo India Pavilion.

FUTURE PLANS

She wants to grow her business to the extent where she can afford to package and be able to market her own products under one roof.

MESSAGE

Every woman should chase her dreams; there are no limits to fulfilling those goals if a person is fully determined and passionate. 

Amarjeet Singh Dhillon

Read Full Story

Leaving M. Tech in middle of his studies, why this young man started farming?

Every parents’ dream is that their children should get a good job so that their future is secure. Similar was the dream of Amarjeet Singh Dhillon’s parents. So they taught him in a good school for his good future and got him enrolled in higher education for B.Tech mechanical. After completing graduation in Mechanical Engineering, Amarjeet decided to pursue his Masters in M.Tech. and also got admitted. But he was not having any particular interest in the study of M.Tech., so he decided to leave the studies in between.

Amarjeet’s family had 12 acres of land on which his father and brother used to practice conventional agriculture. For one year Amarjeet also used to do farming with his father, but due to being a young man, Amarjeet did not want to get enrolled himself in the traditional agriculture. To further increase his knowledge in agriculture, he started visiting Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

He joined the Young Farmer Course in PAU. After the completion of course, he decided to do horticulture. He first started fruit farming at his farm named “Green Energy Farm”.. Later on, he also started vegetables cultivation, flower farming and beekeeping.

Within one year, I decided to grow only fruits and vegetables leaving all other kinds of farming, because the marketing of fruits and vegetables is easily done in the same local market. It helps in getting daily living like a shopkeeper – Amarjeet Singh Dhillon

Amarjeet has set up a time-table for the whole of the year, according to which he harvests the crops sown in different months.

Amarjeet does not do organic farming. At first he tries to control insect-pests and diseases using organic methods only but if further needed, he use sprays as recommended by the PAU in recommended amount. Even today, Amarjeet participates in all KVK, university and district level training programs. Whenever he gets in trouble, he always seek advice from PAU experts only.

According to me, fruits or vegetables should be plucked before spraying and there should be a minimum of 24-48 hours gap between fruit plucking and applying spray – Amarjeet Singh Dhillon
Achievements
Amarjeet has received many honors at the state level and national level, some of which are mentioned below:
  • Chief Minister Award from PAU (2006)
  • State level Award from ATMA (2009)
  • State Award in Agriculture Summit, Chappadchidi
  • Zonal award from International Institute of Vegetable Research (2018)
  • National Award from PUSA (2018)
  • Innovative Farmer Award from IARI
Future Planning

In the future, Amarjeet Singh Dhillon wants to focus all his attention on the self marketing and processing of fruits and vegetables.

Message
“Those young people who want to get themselves enrolled into horticulture, should first get proper education and training in agriculture. They should start farming at very small level rather than investing huge lump-sum in the starting. They must read agricultural related books and should always keep learning.”