Fish pickle business turns adversity into livelihood for tribal women in West Champaran

Bettiah: In a tribal-dominated village of West Champaran, women have turned adversity into opportunity, charting a path towards self-reliance through fish pickle production. What began as a response to falling fish sales during the Covid-19 pandemic has today evolved into a thriving livelihood for dozens of women in Majhaua village, whose pickled fish is now in high demand.Associated with Jeevika, several women have set up small businesses producing pickles from different fish varieties without using any machinery. The initiative has enabled them to earn a steady income using traditional methods.The effort traces its roots to the period just before the pandemic, when a resident of Majhaua village, Ramji Singh Mahato, underwent a 21-day training programme in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, to learn fish pickle preparation. When the Covid-19 crisis struck and fish sales declined sharply, he identified an opportunity in the slowdown and began producing fish pickles. He also trained dozens of women from his neighbourhood in the process.After conditions began returning to normal, the trained women started setting up stalls at local fairs and exhibitions to sell their products. They now run a permanent stall at Harnatand Tharuhat under Bagaha-2 block and regularly participate in exhibitions organised by Jeevika. On special occasions, they also take their products to cities such as Delhi.Kriti, one of the pickle makers, said dozens of women, including her mother, prepare fish pickles using a special technique on clay stoves, which helps preserve them for a long time. “We have three private ponds. In addition to those ponds, we buy fish brought in by fishermen from the Gandak river. Especially during Shrawan, Navaratra and Pitripaksh, fish sales decline and buyers are scarce. Then we buy fish during those times and make and sell 6 to 7 quintals of fish pickles every year,” she said, adding that administrative support could help scale up their small-scale industry.Another Jeevika Didi, 36-year-old Bindu Devi, said, “We make pickles from Rohu, Katla, Chepua, Garai and other fish varieties. Rohu and Chepua pickles cost Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,000 per kg, respectively. Pickles made from other fish range from Rs 500 to Rs 900 per kg. These are sold through stalls. We also receive orders from several states, especially Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where we send packaged pickles. As people have learned about this, sales and demand have increased significantly in the market.”A visitor from Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh, Jyotish Prasad, who was touring the Valmiki Tiger Reserve with his family, said, “Two years ago, I ate fish pickle and Anandi rice bhuja at a relative’s house in the Don area of West Champaran. It was quite delicious. Since then, whenever I visit the district, I make sure to take fish pickle with me. It can be eaten with every meal and doubles the taste of the food.”Block fisheries extension officer of Bagaha-2, Arun Kumar Yadav, said Mahato had been trained by the department in fish farming and fish pickle preparation. He added that the department had also provided a grant for digging a pond and that the administration was encouraging the Jeevika Didis trained under the initiative to promote fish pickle production.