CHHATTISGARH: A qualified doctor and now a bureaucrat, the Jashpur Collector Dr Ravi Mittal is naturally drawn to health challenges, prompting him to harness the unexplored opportunities which create a scope of hygienic nutritious food for the well-being of the people.
The action plan he has devised is in line with the Chhattisgarh government’s vision to give a fillip to the rural economy, draw nutritional benefits and combat malnutrition.
Mittal promoted a food processing and packaging lab on a wider scale as a support for the rural women self-help groups (SHGs) for their livelihood and sustenance. The 2016-batch IAS officer launched a centre of excellence to produce a variety of healthy edible products from flowers of the Mahua tree. The Jashpur-based Manthan food lab has made work easier and has gained popularity among rural women who use the facilities to bring out diverse products after processing and packaging.
The rural and tribal women, despite not being well educated, are doing good business locally as they access the right kind of machines in the food lab built from the district mineral foundation funds. Every SHG has some members trained and adept in the processing and packaging of finished products in the food lab. The SHGs purchase the raw commodity directly from the Farmer Producer Organisation.
The women were formally trained to operate individual machines that have multiple cooking options. “Despite our quality outputs, the packaging was never satisfactory. The food lab offered packaging options that look impressive. Most of us from remote areas have our own ventures.
Our issue on processing and packaging got resolved”, said Lakshmi Yadav from Jyoti SHG. They also get to understand the products’ target customers. Various consumable food items cookies, cakes, pickles, tea leaves, jelly, dal, rice, flour and some minor forest produce are processed and packed. Jashpur region has reported high iron deficiency and malnutrition.
Dr Mittal expanded on the concept of food lab and evolved a strategy to add the ‘nutrition factor’ as a key component while exploiting the nutritional and economic value of Mahua, aligning it with the adoption of millets. Mahua for ages has been used by tribal communities as herbal medicines, treatment and liquor-making. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research cited Mahua as a multipurpose tree for tribals.
Dr Mittal has decided to get hygienically prepared Mahuabased nutrition food items to reach every home on every table. “Our vision is to make multiple food products and delicacies from Mahua, both for premium and affordable segments. The nutritional deficiency in the diet is something that needs constant focus. We are also integrating it with the millet mission to maximise the benefits,” he said.