Success boosts self-help group’s morale

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Barnala, June 10

Setting   an example for others, 10 women of Bhotna village  of Barnala, who have formed Sukhmani self-help group, have succeeded in   giving their   family income a boost. Within two years of formation of the group, the  members have not only made their families self dependent, but have also been motivating  other women of their village to take it up.

The group, headed by Amarjit Kaur, was  formed in 2016 after  all  of the members underwent a formal training at the RSETI in pickle and sauce preparation. They made some monetary contribution to start their venture.

They bought containers and other items needed for their business and started preparing pickle and sauce. In August 2017, the  group took a  loan of around Rs 1.5 lakh to expand their business.

“In this season, we will prepare pickle and chatni (sauce) of around five quintals of mangoes. Such products are also made of seasonal fruits and vegetables. We have been selling our  products to local villagers by setting up stalls at fairs and programmes. Last week,  we  decided  to sell   products on a daily basis by starting supplying it to  grocery stores,” said Amarjit Kaur.

The group members also grow organic vegetables for their daily needs. After completion of their daily chores, some of the group members also   organise religious programmes in their  village to raise funds for social causes, such as maintenance of village ambulance and tree plantation drive.

Pritpal Kaur, another member of  the group, said that to reduce the production cost, they had been  grinding  the spices manually with the help of traditional hand grinders.

“We sold products worth Rs 40,000 at the SARAS Mela in Patiala. Now,  we are  learning  value addition and techniques of marketing,” she said.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Barnala,  Rachhpal Singh Khosa said the cost of farming had been increasing. “To increase their income, families of farmers must start self-help groups like Sukhmani,” he added.

Members underwent formal training

The group, headed by Amarjit Kaur, was  formed in 2016 after all of the members underwent a formal training at the RSETI in pickle and sauce preparation. They made some monetary contribution to start their venture.