A drudgery ridden production process of an easy to consume snack
India produces 89 million tonnes of rice annually—10% of which is converted to value added products such as puffed rice. Puffed rice is consumed widely, and is cheap and easily available. But does the price consumers pay for it capture the human costs of it?
“Automation and better buildings can make the processing of puffed rice much easier than it currently is. ”
There is not much technological aid for people working and residing in puffed rice clusters, who work for 10+ hours in sweltering heat and smoke. The output price is not worth the hard labour- roughly Rs 50 for 500 grams.
“I didn’t have an opportunity to opt for any other options but I don’t think my children will opt for puff rice making as their livelihood”
In spite of the hard manual labour workers have to do, they earn about a meagre Rs 10,000 per month–barely enough to sustain a family. But due to high financial vulnerability, many young men join this only to be stuck later on with limited skills.
Problem Statement:
How might we innovate solution(s) which will reduce drudgery and increase the productivity of the puffed rice producers so that their livelihoods are economically viable and sustainable?
KavinTech Corporation