Couple helps 15000 farmers earn more with biofortified seeds, turns over Rs 10 crore

Greenday, founded by Aishwarya Bhatnagar and Prateek Rastogi in Lucknow, promotes innovative farming methods and biofortified seeds. Until three years back, Sukhwinder Singh had not heard about biofortified seeds – seeds that have been bred to have higher levels of certain nutrients like iron and zinc. The farmer has been successfully growing wheat on his 5.5-acre landholding using these seeds.

Three years ago, Sukhwinder Singh discovered biofortified seeds, which have higher nutrient levels like iron and zinc. He switched to these seeds to avoid harmful chemical fertilizers and improve his wheat production on his 5.5-acre land. 

The use of biofortified seeds has led to tastier and more nutritious wheat, with lower input costs due to reduced urea fertilization. Sukhwinder now earns more from selling wheat grown with biofortified seeds than conventional seeds. 

Like Sukhwinder, 15,000 small farmers in Uttar Pradesh benefit from biofortified seeds promoted by Aishwarya and Prateek Rastogi. After gaining entrepreneurship training at IIM Ahmedabad, Prateek focused on uplifting agriculture in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, prioritizing regions that needed agricultural advancement. 

Through their efforts, farmers like Sukhwinder are producing safer, healthier, and more sustainable food, improving both their livelihoods and consumer health.

After working in the corporate world for a year, a man and his wife, Aishwarya, moved to their ancestral village in Sitapur. Aishwarya, an alumna of IHM Bombay, studied food sciences and nutrition. 

They enjoy rural visits, cooking on a firewood stove, and connecting with farmers. Their passion for improving the lives of farmers stems from their childhood experiences with farm produce. 

Witnessing nutritional deficiencies in crop outputs, they decided to fortify seeds with essential nutrients like zinc, iron, and manganese. They founded Greenday in January 2020 to enhance crop nutrition and empower farmers economically. Aishwarya emphasizes that nutrition should be a right for all Indians, not a luxury.

They aim to address widespread issues of malnutrition, with data showing high rates of anemia and stunted growth in India. By promoting the shift to biofortified seeds, they believe farmers can improve their income and contribute to combating malnutrition. Greenday's vision is to bring systemic innovation to agriculture and enhance crop nutrition for a healthier future.

Biofortified seeds, developed for nutritional benefits and climate resilience, have shown significant promise in increasing essential nutrient levels by up to 80 percent. By introducing zinc soil bacteria to enrich the soil ecosystem, plants can absorb more nutrients, resulting in higher nutritional content in harvested crops.

 For example, baseline levels of zinc in traditional wheat are around 28 parts per million, compared to 45 parts per million in biofortified seeds. The addition of zinc soil bacteria increases zinc levels to 50-55 parts per million, an 80 percent increase. 

While these seeds offer increased nutritional value, there may be a slight yield decrease of 4 to 5 percent, offset by premium rates for the produce. Collaboration with farmers in regions like Gorakhpur and Basti has promoted the adoption of biofortified seeds and provided holistic services to boost crop nutrient content naturally. 

The impact of the initiative has been significant, with a focus on improving health and supporting livelihoods through dedicated work with farmers

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