Gowri Shankar grew up eating foxtail millet in drought-prone Anantapur. By the time she finished her MBA, most farmers around her village had switched to thirstier crops — and deeper debt.
She started Siri Dhanya Foods in 2017 to give millets a market, promising growers a guaranteed minimum price and a share of profits.
Ready-to-cook, ready to sell
The company processes millets into quick-cooking rava, flour and snacks, and now sells through 2,000 stores and online.
Farmers were never the problem. They were simply at the wrong end of the value chain.
More than 7,000 farmers supply the company, and average incomes among its partner households have risen by about 40 percent.
