Women from Upper Jherudi of Purvakhola Rural Municipality-2, Jalpa, have earned income this Tihar by making millet and corn roti.
What you should know
You must have seen the colorful jhiniya roti made from rice. But now in Palpa, jhiniya has also started being made from millet and corn.
Women from Upper Jherudi of Purvakhola Rural Municipality-2, Jalpa have earned income this Tihar by making millet and corn flour bread. Eight women from the Jalpa Entrepreneurial Women's Group have made millet and corn flour bread this time. According to ward chair Nir Bahadur Saru, women have made millet and corn flour bread through entrepreneurial training conducted by the rural municipality and ward. According to
group chairwoman Sita Darlami, 60 dozen millet and 30 dozen corn flour breads have been made as a sample this year. 'When made organically with millet and corn flour alone, they would break and break,' she said. 'After adding a little rice flour, the breaking and breaking stopped.' That's why only a little rice flour has been mixed in.'
Group members Trishta Barghare, Leelamaya Barghare, Levina Byambu, Yamakala Dhenga, Meenakumari Kumari Dhenga and others have made jhiniya together. Entrepreneur Meenakumari said that she makes different jhiniyas because she can earn a lot of income from home with little investment. To make jhiniyas, the flour made by grinding millet or corn is cooked. Then, food coloring is added as needed. 'If it looks colorful, it is good for Tihar,' said another entrepreneur Yamakala, 'That's why there is a tradition of adding colors as needed.'
Roti is made one by one from an iron mold provided by the municipality. It should be dried in the sun. After drying, 12 pieces of millet are now sold for Rs 220 and corn for Rs 200, said Chairman Darlami. ‘This year we made it as a sample,’ she said, ‘but since it tastes different, people have taken it to villages and neighboring villages.’
Apart from Jalpa, rice-based jhiniya roti is made elsewhere. Women from Nisdi’s Galdha, Rampur Municipality, Rambha, Mathagadhi, Tansen Municipality, Ribdikot, Baganaskali and other municipalities have been making a lot of money by making this roti. The number of people who make and sell this roti to celebrate festivals and meet household expenses has now reached more than 200. However, government statistics are not available anywhere.
Jhiniya roti has been made since before Dashain. Bishnu Saru of Rampur Municipality-4 said that women who sell Jhiniya Roti are busy. Rudranarayan Shrestha of Rampur Municipality-5 said that due to the late rains this year, those who make and sell Jhiniya Roti have no time until a few days before Tihar. There is no problem with the market for sales. ‘It has become possible to sell Jhiniya Roti whenever you make it, rather than according to order,’ he said. ‘The number of women making Jhiniya Roti is increasing every year.’
They do not produce it themselves, but buy it from other women and send it to them. There are many women who produce it themselves and become traders and sell it themselves. Some municipalities have taught women how to make Jhiniya Roti. There are many women in Palpa who sell Jhiniya Roti for between Rs 30,000 and 800,000. Jhiniya Roti, which has become a strong source of income for women, is traded in Palpa alone for more than Rs 30 million.
Apart from Tansen, women from Rampur, Kaseni, Pokharathok, Galdha of Nisdi, as well as Birkot of Purbakhola, Tahu of Rambha, and Humin have also been earning a good income by making Jhiniya roti. The Jhiniya roti produced in Palpa reaches not only Butwal, but also Nepalgunj, Nawalparasi, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Narayangadh and other places.
