Women ‘agripreneur’ plan to be launched on Oct 15

In an effort to create women “agripreneurs” in the state, Punjab’s Food Processing Department is all set to start a new initiative to mentor women farmers and see them through their journey to manage and run profitable agribusiness ventures.

The programme, named “Business Bibas”, will be formally launched from Punjab Agricultural University on October 15.

The women who enrol for the programme will get an opportunity to transition from traditional cultivation to profitable ventures that create sustainable livelihoods and local employment opportunities.

The programme is the brainchild of Principal Secretary, Food Processing department, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, who says that through this programme, women farmers will become decision-makers and owners of ventures.

“Across India’s rural landscape, farm women have long been the silent drivers of food security, seed preservation and household sustenance. Yet, despite their deep involvement in agricultural operations, their participation in decision-making and enterprise creation remains limited. This initiative aims to empower farm women with entrepreneurial skills. This transformation requires more than just technical knowhow, it demands exposure to business planning, market orientation and financial independence. Through structured training and handholding, farm women can evolve into confident ‘Business Bibas’ —entrepreneurs rooted in agriculture but driven by innovation, quality and value creation,” she said.

Initially, women self-help groups (SHGs) already working in the field of agro-food processing will be chosen. “About 30 groups have been called for the launch next week. Amongst them, we will assess how many groups would want to scale up their activities to grow into a full-fledged business. They will then be trained in identifying business opportunity, resource availability and market analysis and will also be imparted relevant skills in business management and production,” Dr KB Singh, director of Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute told The Tribune. He said they would also help the agripreneurs do market surveys, price trend analysis, in digital marketing and in exploring e-commerce platforms for the sale of their products.

After the selected ‘Business Bibas’ have estimated their financial needs, the government will help them explore funding opportunities through government Schemes like PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), NABARD, besides financing from banks through Kisan Credit Card and MUDRA loan schemes.

Punjab