New Delhi: Women entrepreneurs of Asare Sanjeevini Food Products ‘We Mill’ displayed their millet products at the two-day comprehensive convention and CSIR Decade Achievement Mega Expo, organised at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, as part of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Foundation Day on Sept. 26 and 27.

Minister of Science and Technology and Vice-President of CSIR, Dr. Jitendra Singh; Secretary of Space Department and ISRO Chairman S. Somnath and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood were present at the event.

‘We Mill,’ located at Santhe Mala Gaddige Road, Bilikere, Hunsur taluk, Mysuru, has been instrumental in women entrepreneurship for the past three years, with the efforts of 14 women, under the guidance of Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), Mysuru, Wuerth Elektronik India Pvt. Ltd. and CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), Mysuru.

The product range displayed included Ragi Malt, Ragi Mudde Mix, Ragi Sari (Shishu Poshan), and various types of Ragi Cookies manufactured at ‘We Mill.’

“It was such an honour for me to be here; as a woman from a village, this was my first trip in an aircraft,” said an excited woman entrepreneur Parvathi and thanked the organisations supporting them in selling traditional millet products locally, nationally and internationally.

“Women from ‘We Mill’ are a motivation to other rural women aspiring to be entrepreneurs. Despite lack of adequate marketing resources, the quality of products itself is making them sell, through word-of-mouth advertising. Products are manufactured, keeping the standards given by CFTRI. The support from people across India would greatly benefit not just these 14 women, but also empower many such rural initiatives, in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj and Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India Initiative’,” said Dr. Basavaraju R. Shreshta, Executive Director of GRAAM.

‘We Mill’ product is a model developed by bringing together the government, local community, civil society and corporate for rural wealth creation. There are 14 rural women working as proud partners of their own venture.

Following the hub and spoke model, ‘We Mill’ products are processed and manufactured from premium quality millet, procured locally from farmers.

Ragi Malt, Ragi Mudde Mix, Ragi Sari (Shishu Poshan), and a variety of Ragi Cookies are available on major e-commerce platforms, supermarkets and organic shops.

For more information contact Janardhan from GRAAM on Mob:73378-44633.