EDI student's health is wealth formula

AHMEDABAD: A student of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) is ready to extend a helping hand to diabetes patients the natural way. He is in the process of setting up cottage industries for diabetic medicine. Deepak Patel, a student of Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in business entrepreneurship at EDI, is gearing up to start his own venture of selling ash gourd juice. The 23-year-old student's idea is to bottle the juice and make it available in stores so that the juice is conveniently available for diabetics."Ash gourd is a traditionally known medicine that maintains the sugar level of diabetic patients. I have tested the medicinal properties of the juice in scientific laboratories too," said Patel.He took the opportunity of his two-month long internship at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at Mysore to test the medicinal properties of ash gourd juice. "My plan is to link up with lower income families in the city who are interested in setting up small plants for extracting and bottling the juice in their homes. These mechanical setups can cost as low as Rs 30,000 each. My role will be to train them in processing ash gourd juice, and also in collecting their products and marketing them," said Patel. Talking about his plans to set up the business in Ahmedabad, Patel, who belongs to Delhi said, "Opportunities for entrepreneurship abound in Gujarat because of the policies here and the entrepreneurial spirit among the people here."Patel estimates that he will be able to sell a bottle containing 200 milliliters of ash gourd juice at a rate of Rs 15 each. "We will not be using any preservatives other than salt in the product. The bottled product, however, can be stored without getting spoilt for 20 days," said Patel. "Diabetic patients can store the products at their homes and consume the juice at their convenience," he further explained. "All plans are in place. I am just waiting for the completion of my course in March 2012."