Doing a weekend post after a while because this one issue has been bugging me. Both me and my wife have massive interest in Rice. We write about it, we did a pop-up and an rice exhibition that showcased 32 kinds of rice and are now planning a book.

The biggest issue in rice is sourcing. And, that is how we have met the most passionate and amazing people and institutions. How many of you have heard of these two:

https://www.juhaal.com/
https://amarkhamar.com/

Most would not have. They are reliable, they are doing what few others do and their value add to farmers. But they miss the limelight and the accolade they deserve.

Why? Because:

1. They dont call themselves ‘startups’. That is the magic word, say that and you have people’s attention.

2. They dont have Funding. Our ecosystem treats funding as a success, not as a beginning but an end. You get funding and you are suddenly international news. How many non-funded startups do you hear of?

3. They are an ecom platform. So, tech player, right? Tech players hog a lot of the light and even in areas like agri, we are pushing out impactful, non-tech, non-jazzy initiatives out of focus.

Especially, in agri, we need to change our lenses. We need to look beyond and appreciate work that is beyond our own radius and collaborate.