The
Apricot Growers' Enterprise is a small scale
rural initiative that exists in harmony with
the environment and provides supplementary income
to farmers of the region. Apricot seeds collected
from villages in Kumaon, Garhwal and Himachal
are now reaching consumers in major cities in
India in the form of a high quality massage
oil and scrub.
Aarohi’s
initiative with apricot growers started in the
year 1992 in the event of a massive hailstorm
that destroyed over half the fruit crop. As
apricots are highly perishable a fair amount
of fruit never reaches the market. The nut however
remains intact if dried and stored carefully.
The initiative gave value to that portion the
fruit regarded as waste and created a vibrant
and profitable enterprise for farmers in Kumaon
region of the Central Himalayas.
In 2006-2007,
total sales from products crossed the threshold figure
of INR 1,000,000. A total of 28.5 quintals of apricot
nuts were purchased from 612 farmers fetching them
a sum of around INR 66000. Apart from providing employment
to six local people on a permanent basis, the enterprise
was also able to provide valuable income of around
INR 40000 to poor households for job work like nut
shelling and scrub pounding.
In
the coming years, the enterprise plans
on carrying out the following five-fold
strategy to achieve higher growth rate
and surplus, which will contribute to
welfare activities like health and education:
Put
in place distribution/retail channels
in all metropolitan and other major cities
