- Punjab government initiated the 'Business Bibaz' project on International Day of Rural Women
- The project will enable rural women entrepreneurs to sell their products in larger markets
- Products are mozzarella cheese, mushrooms produced on paddy straw, and turmeric-mint soaps
Punjab village women entrepreneurs can now target larger markets with their value-added products like mozzarella cheese, mushroom produced on paddy straw, and turmeric-mint soaps through the launch of the Punjab government's 'Business Bibaz' project.
The project was inaugurated on International Day of Rural Women to inject a boost into entrepreneurship in the hands of women and value addition to agriculture.
Rashpal Kaur Sandhu (71) of Nawanshahr, who returned to her village in 2010 after living in the UK since 1971, wished the project would help her expand the size of her self-made soap-making unit, producing soaps made from turmeric, charcoal, and mint.
She said she had been interested in empowering women ever since she met a Gujarati woman in the UK and, after her husband's death, set up the venture. "I am so involved in this work now that I don't want to return to the UK," she said.
Rashpal mentioned that the effort would assist in marketing their products outside the local consumer base. "As a woman entrepreneur, it wasn't easy to get the initial approvals initially. After three years of asking authorities to approve cold-processed soaps as beneficial for the skin," Rashpal noted that the soaps were made by rural women with oils from nature.
Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, Secretary of Food Processing, Punjab, states that the 'Business Bibaz' initiative is meant to strengthen women entrepreneurs by supporting farmers in transitioning from traditional farming to more lucrative and food entrepreneurial environments.
The endeavor seeks to amalgamate indigenous knowledge with modern science with a particular focus on food processing and value addition.
The long-term goal is to prepare women to move Punjab native products beyond state marketplaces while helping them develop as “agripreneurs” innovatively.
Approximately 300 women entrepreneurs who were already working in manufacturing farm-based and natural products participated in the launch ceremony at the Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (PAMETI) on the campus of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana.
PAMETI, under the project, will assist women farmers, self-help groups (SHGs), and rural entrepreneurs in expanding their businesses by utilizing centrally sponsored schemes and interdepartmental coordination.
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