Locals caught in lockdown, count on ‘Family Farmers’

Binay Singh | TNN | Apr 18, 2020, 04:00 IST

Grihasth, the family farmers, supply groceey at door steps

Varanasi: Even as the government and social organisations make desperate efforts to ensure that ration and food packets reach the needy, Grihasth, a group of ‘Family Farmers’ — a startup incubated by IIT-BHU — is supplying pure and fresh food items and grocery to customers at their doorstep amid lockdown restrictions.
About 225 farmers of eastern UP have been providing fresh and quality food products to consumers on demand for the past two years as part of the campaign ‘Kisan aapke Dwar’. Now, with lockdown enforced in view of coronavirus outbreak, the group has been flooded with orders from its customers.
On the concept of ‘family doctors,’ the Grihasth has spearheaded the campaign — ‘Kisan aapke Dwar’ (farmer at your doorstep) and ‘Adopt a farmer’.
“The way a family doctor takes care of the health of a family, a family farmer can also help a family lead a healthy life by supplying quality grocery and food items. The family farmers not only bring good health to people, but also cut short their expenses on medicines and pathology tests,” said Dr Dipti, who started the ‘family farmer’ campaign as a startup incubated by IIT-BHU.
Mahamana Agri-Business Incubator (IIT-BHU) has supported the Family Farmer movement. Union ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare helped this campaign under the RKVY-Raftaar scheme.
“Today, when the Covid-19 lockdown has adversely affected many business, the Grihasth has registered around 40% growth with new household getting connected with its network for doorstep delivery of grocery and food items as people stay indoors,” she said.
“Goods are delivered to consumers while maintaining norms of social distancing. More than 110 food products, including pulses, oil, rice, flour, pickles, honey are being supplied to the consumers at their doorsteps. So far over 1,700 houses are connected with the Grihasth,” she added.
Apart from home delivery, the campaign is also going to introduce 10 ‘Shops On Wheels’ to supply food products including fresh vegetables and fruits in 30 localities soon.
The demand of herbal products like amla juice and powder, aloe vera products, wheat grass and moringa powder has increased during lockdown period.
Under this campaign, so far 46 farmers have become ‘family farmers’ of the people, she said adding that these ‘family farmers’ would not only bring good health of people but also cut short their expenses on medicines and pathological tests by providing pure and nutritious food products.