Sorghum directorate to rope in pvt players for brand push

The Directorate of Sorghum Research (DSR), a central agency under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, is planning to expand its ‘Eat Rite' brand.

“We are planning to scale up the brand with the help of private players by providing them our technical licence,” said B Dayakar Rao, principal scientist, DSR.

The Hyderabad-headquartered agency would rope in entrepreneurs, self-help groups, farmer cooperatives and food processing companies for the initiative.

It has identified 400 entrepreneurs as its franchisees from across the country as part of INSIMP (Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millet Promotion) of the agriculture ministry to promote sorghum products and the ‘Eat Rite’ brand, Rao said.

DSR, which registered its own company Jaicar Foods in 2010, had pilot launched its products under the Eat Rite brand last year.

“We have identified two models – one where the products will be manufactured at DSR and the entrepreneurs will be responsible for sales and marketing, and the second where the entrepreneurs can use the technology, produce the products and sell under our brand,” said DSR director JV Patil. The institute will, however, do the quality check.

DSR has also set up a value-addition and entrepreneurship development centre of excellence (CoE) to create technology to make ‘ready-to-eat’ and ‘ready-to-cook’ products and train entrepreneurs, Rao said.

Here, entrepreneurs take up the processing and manufacturing activities for commercial production of sorghum-based products like roasted flakes, multi-grain atta, vermicelli, ready idli mix, poha, cookies and biscuits and rawa.

The CoE will invest Rs 3 crore and has sought another Rs 10 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan for its expansion, Rao said.

Eat Rite products are now available at Heritage Fresh retail chain, and DSR is in talks with other retail stores, including More, to make the products available.

The directorate has also started a ‘Jowar Rath’ to spread awareness on jowar products by showing demo of preparing jowar-based food items.