Economic Growth India Project #2022

Empower Women Farmers in India

by Seva Mandir

Project Report | Jan 4, 2018
The Lentil Mill Goes High-Tech!

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization

Let me start out by wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year.

Over the last ten years the lentil mill has developed in leaps and bounds. From only a meager 100 kilogrammes of pulses produced a decade ago, it has now expanded its output capacity to 70,000 kilogrammes of raw pulses. That's an increase of 700 percent! To keep pace with this expansion, the lentil mill has modernised its infrastructure and added larger and better equipment to be able to keep up with the modern processing requirements and market demand.

As a result, we have recently added a state-of-art machine to the lentil mill arsenal. It is called a Digital Colour Sorter & Separator Machine -better known by its 'pet name' of SORTEX. This amazing piece of machinery digitally grades and separates every grain of finished lentil and sorts them on the basis of colour, size and texture to less than a 5% margin error.

The cost of SORTEX was Rs. 6,00,000 (US $9,500) and the advantages of using it are manifold. Firstly, it separates the lentil into different grades of distinct varieties of pulses, which command a higher price than unsorted pulses in the market. Secondly, it will minimise wastage, as a high proportion of unsorted lentil is discarded in the form of by-products.

No other pulse processing unit in Udaipur district has a machine as sophisticated as SORTEX. As a consequence, Lentil mill (the farmers' federation) will be able to generate more business, which in turn will result in substantial additional income for the group.

But it isn't just the lentil mill that will benefit. More than 10,000 farming families, for whom pulse farming is an integral part of farming practice in the remote tribal areas of southern Rajasthan, will be able to earn more from their crop. By selling to the lentil mill they are cutting out the middle men, so are being paid a fair price for their produce. And now SORTEX will be in operation, we will be able to sell their graded pulses at a higher rate. So it's a winning solution all round.

It is because of your support we have been able to help increase profits of these poor farmers. Thanks for your trust and support, the lentil mill has grown over the period of time increasing income of thousands of farmers who would have otherwise exploited in the supply chain.

We look forward for your continuous support. If your travel brings you to this part of the world, please do visit us.

Warm Regards,

Atul Lekhra and Seva Mandir Team

Follow us on www.facebook.com/sevamandir

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Oct 9, 2017
Lentil Mill: A Volunteer's Perspective

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Online Donor Communication

Jul 10, 2017
INSIGHTS AND EXPERIENCE OF A FARMER

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Online Donor Communication

Surya relies on dal mill to make a fair price

“I’ve been working at the dal (lentil) mill for four years. I run the milling machine and do the processing. I am also responsible for maintaining the records – how much has been produced and how much has been sold.

I live in Chikla village, 6 kms from the mill. I look after my mother and father, and I have a wife and four children. My wife is a teacher at one of Seva Mandir’s Bridge Schools.

Before, I used to bring products from my farm to the market. I’d have to pay for transport and waste a day’s labour travelling there. The market also charged us to weigh and quality check the product. At the market, we are paid in round numbers. So if we have 4.4kg of dal we are only paid for 4kg. We had no option but to sell under these conditions. As I only have a small farm, the money I brought home from the market was very little.

At Seva Mandir’s dal mill, we have the equipment to weigh and quality check for free. At the dal mill, we are paid for every gram of dal. Here, farmers come here to get fair prices for their work. We no longer have to rely on travelling long distances to the market and not being paid fairly.

With monsoon around the corner, we thankfully now have the funds to repair the roof and walls. This season, we don’t have to worry about leakage ruining our product.

We are also replacing the electrical system so we’ll be able to run the mill for longer. On the old system, we could only run during the night, or it would overheat. The machines will be damaged less often, and we won’t have to waste time and money fixing them.”

- Surya

Thank you for supporting farmers like Surya – the dal mill is an essential source of income for him and his family!

We are happy to share with you that we had recently participated in the Global Giving Photo Contest 2017 and our photo secured 1^st position in the Hope category. All thanks to friends like you who had voted for our photo and helped us win the contest.

We are also excited to share with you that, on Wednesday July 12^th, GlobalGiving will be matching donations in the GG Rewards Bonus Day. On this day donations will be matched by 50% and new recurring donations will be matched by 100%.

Every small bit, no matter how small helps us reach closer to our goal. We do hope that you will continue to support our project. This matching fund campaign will help your contribution go deeper.

Remember, together we can make a difference for these farmers.

Best Wishes,

Atul Lekhra and Seva Mandir Team
Follow us on www.facebook.com/sevamandir

Seva Mandir's dal mill supports farmers

An electrician installs a new electrical system

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