Rajasthan's tribal women find empowerment through Sitafal

Amidst the long, scorching Indian summers and even the chilly winters, there is always room for ice cream. After all, the perfect time for ice cream is always now. But have you ever stopped to ponder the ingredients behind that creamy delight?

Far away in the remote forest areas of Pali district in Rajasthan, one of ice cream’s main ingredients, the pulp of custard apple, known as Sitafal, has transformed the lives of thousands of impoverished tribal women.

The pulp has literally turned around the lives of about 5000 women, 99% of whom are from the Garasia tribe, in 27 villages of Pali district, which is among the most backward districts of western Rajasthan.

Started in 2013 and registered in 2015, the Ghummer Mahila Producer Company Limited (GMPCL) is a large federation of self-help groups (SHGs) entirely managed by women, which has helped empower them economically and socially.

The federation’s strength lies in the mutual trust within SHGs and the leadership that has matured over the years, says Sadaam Husain Chisti, an advisory board member. The GMPCL, which comprises over 5000 women members from about 400 SHGs, also boasts a savings corpus of Rs 3 crore. What started with a modest Rs 10 in monthly savings has now gone up to Rs 100 a month. Women are given loans at 6% interest. 

Driven by poverty and a near-absence of agriculture, migration was common as most family members, including women, were compelled to seek work far from home. Entrapped by ruthless money lenders who charged high interest rates even on minuscule loan amounts, these tribal women were caught in the vicious cycle of loans, and their livelihood hinged on harvesting custard apples from the forest, and selling them for a meagre amount of Rs 1 per kg.

Illiterate and hamstrung by capacity limitations, these women were unaware of the fruit’s true worth. Opportunistic agents made a killing by selling the same fruits at inflated prices. More than 50% of the total fruit yield was squandered due to inadequate market linkages, a short harvesting season, high perishability, and a dearth of preservation and processing technology. 

An NGO, Srijan (Self-Reliant Initiative through Joint Action) India, intervened by exploring the technologies for extraction and preservation of custard apple pulp. These women were trained about the importance of fruit pulp as an ingredient. Later, the fruits were sold at about Rs 10 per kg. When founded, GMPCL collaborated with Srijan to develop a successful business model on the custard apple value chain. The frozen fruit pulp now sells for Rs 70 per kg, increasing the women’s earnings manifold over the years.

“In 2017, the entire value chain process was decentralised. Initially, eight Village Collection Centres (VCCs) were started where women were trained for grading, plucking, weighing, sorting, and the natural rejuvenation associated with custard apples grown in the wild. By 2022, 11 VCCs became operational in various parts, so that these women didn’t have to travel far to earn their livelihoods,” says Sadaam.

The workforce comprises pluckers, sorters, graders, and packers. At least 1000 women pluck raw custard apples from the wild and sell them to VCCs, earning approximately Rs 2500-Rs 3000 in a period of 30–35 days. There are book-keepers who maintain records in the VCC and individual passbooks for members.

Another group supports day-to-day VCC activities and the Central Processing Unit, where fruits are reweighed and kept in rooms for natural ripening. Later, the women sort ripened custard apples based on their texture and scoop out the pulp while consigning the outer peel to compost.

The scooped pulp is sent to the pulper, where seeds are separated from the pulp. Seeds are then washed and sun-dried for preservation and natural plantation. To prevent bacteria from attacking, the whole process works on a continuous basis and within a short period of time. The processed pulp is then packed into a standard 1 kg packet and blast frozen at -35 degrees C for 8 hours.

“We have to maintain utmost hygiene and cleanliness by using hand gloves, head caps, an apron, and masks to ensure the purity of the pulp,” says Movani Devi, one of the supervisors at GMPCL. 

Frozen pulp is moved to cold storage, where it can be kept for more than a year at -16 degrees Celsius. The pulp is packed in corrugated boxes and transported to storage facilities in refrigerated vehicles about 200 km away, near Udaipur.

Of the 5000 women who work under the GMPCL, 13 women rotate as Executive Board members. The Company Board has nine women members, and together, these 22 women oversee the entire operations, including the quality of the pulp. “This way, many women get a chance at leadership,” says Movani Devi.

Renki Kumari, 26, also a Garasia, is now one of the supervisors in the plant. She checks on the freezing of the pulp and works from 8 am to 5 pm daily. After working for the past five years, Renki says her life has transformed. “Earlier, I used to travel 30 km for work. Besides exhaustion, there were additional difficulties like bus fares. Most people from the village migrated in search of work. Now women from our village and other villages around us have found work in the plant. The pay suits us, although it is seasonal. In other seasons, we make leaf plates and incense sticks of Ber. During Holi, we make eco-friendly colours from Palash flowers.”

Renki’s mother and sister also work in the plant, thus substantially increasing the family’s earnings. In the custard apple season, the earnings reach around Rs 25,000 per woman, starting from Rs 6000. During the off-season, it ranges between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000 monthly. Supervisors are also given a daily stipend of Rs 400, while bookkeepers get a fixed amount of Rs 250 daily, and new recruits get Rs 250.

In 2015, the turnover of the company was a modest Rs 5 lakh. By 2022, the turnover increased to Rs 70 lakh with over a 25% profit margin. Around 51 tonnes of pulp were produced last year.

Says Sadaam: “The target next year is 100 tonnes with a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore. The buyers are from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Almost 30% of the total pulp produced is consumed in the ice cream industry, where it is used in making custard apple ice cream, shakes, and kulfi by major brands like Vadilal, Havmor, Top N Town, and other local ice cream makers nationwide. About 70% of the pulp is used in the catering industry to make various custard apple delicacies like Sitafal Cream, rabdi, basundi, etc., which are popular on wedding menus.”

With economic empowerment and improved livelihoods, these women now have time on their hands to pursue other activities. The 5000 women members have formed the ‘Gulabi Gang’ to tackle social evils in their region, especially alcoholism. They have taken up educating their children on a mission and have created awareness about how education is the key to solving many of their problems. Many of the next-generation girls are graduates and postgraduates. One of their most important works has been to free members from the trap of money lenders.

Devi Bai of Urna village had mortaged her 8-bigha land for Rs 5000 at 15% interest. Despite paying back the entire loan amount with interest, the money lender kept fooling her. That was when the Gulabi Gang stepped in, protesting against the money lender untill he relented and gave Devi Bai her land. Devi Bai is now a proud cultivator. “There is no limit to what we can accomplish collectively,” says Movani Devi. 

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Jaipur)