Chak-hao Kheer, other products of Smile becoming popular
Source: Chronicle News Service / Niranjan Oinam
Imphal, March 18 2024:
Ready-to-serve food products including Chak hao Kheer produced under 'Smile' brand of Blue Ocean Academy (BOA) are becoming popular in and outside the state.
BOA proprietor cum managing director Hanjabam Ranjita is hoping that a little assistance from the government could help her promote her products to a broader market thereby contributing in improving economy of the state.
Ranjita, after completing fashion designing course, established Blue Ocean Academy, Manipur in June 2000 at Keishampat opposite Churachandpur Bus Parking, and got it registered on March 31, 2003 under Manipur Societies Registration Act, 1989.For several years, the Academy groomed many youths both at national and international levels.
However, she gave up fashion designing after her husband fell ill, and noises from adjacent shops made it impossible to continue her Academy.
Consequently, she got training on food processing, value addition and quality control under different government departments and institutes.
Speaking to The People's Chronicle, Ranjita informed that by the time her husband got ill, other fashion related academies sprung up in Imphal area.
An iron and steel workshop also came up adjacent to her Academy, which made it impossible to continue her Academy due to the loud noises and fumes of paint entering the classes.
At that time, a friend encouraged her to focus on promoting local products and she decided to get training on food processing.
In the initial phase, she tried to produce packaged dry 'Nakuppi' (Chives) but got wasted due to the high moisture content.
Later, she was guided by CSIR Central Food Technological Research Institute's chief scientist Dr Ng Iboyaima and she was able to produce dry vegetables under the brand 'Smile' while retaining their tastes and aroma.
She took part in different state level exhibition hosted both in state and national levels.
In a national level exhibition, she found that her products were the only products with poor packaging and without FSSAI and GST registration numbers.
Ranjita felt ashamed and had to hide her products.
After that, she got FSSAI and GST registration in June 2022.Her product range include U-Morok, pineapple, Kachai lemon tea, Peruk, Ginger, Hawaijar, Kachai Lemon candy, Pineapple candy, Sirarakhong chilli flakes, Amla candy, Amla chilli pickle, and Mango Mint pickle.
After the violence broke out on May 3 last year, she came up with the idea of packaged Chak-hao Kheer on seeing the hardships faced by the village volunteers, who could not find time to prepare meals.
She produced regular and sugar-free variants of Chak-hao Kheer mixed with millet and dry fruits and donated several such packaged Chakhao Kheer to village volunteers through Singjamei 360, she said.
Ranjita further informed that she does not use chemical preservatives in any of her products and has been able to sell her products through Pabung App, Ema App, local shops in different parts of the state as well as at some shops in Delhi.
Pondering over the imminent arrival of train service in Imphal in a few years' time, Ranjita said that youth of the state would face more pressure due to increasing unemployment problem once the passenger train service reaches Imphal.
Taking this into consideration, she made an attempt to promote local products to contribute in improving economy and also to take advantage of train service to promote her products to other parts of the country, she said.
Now, she is providing direct and indirect jobs to several people.
Unfortunately, her work-shed is small and she does not have big machines to process the products.
As such, she sometimes face issues in meeting bulk demands.
She is hoping for some assistance from the government so that she could upgrade her facility and provide employment to many more youths and farmers.