For years, sattu stalls had been part of life in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, but the traditional food slowly lost its place in the local economy. And then, things changed after IAS officer Aojasvi Raj became the Chief Development Officer.
He saw a chance to bring back farming, create jobs, build a new local business and encouraged farmers to grow gram again.
The revival never depended on big companies or factories, The Better India reported. More than 700 women from local self-help groups helped turn Sattu into a new source of income.
The new branding has given Ballia's sattu a much larger market, and it is now reaching customers in other parts of the country through platforms such as Amazon and Blinkit. Today, Ballia's Sattu is also served internationally as Sattu Pops, including at China's University cafes.
In an interview with Indian Masterminds, Aojasvi Raj said, “What struck me very early was that Ballia is overwhelmingly dependent on agriculture. The soil is fertile, but there was a need to identify a product that could create higher value for local farmers and generate employment within the district itself.”
“There is a very old connection between Ballia, Maharishi Bhrigu and Sattu. People told us that Maharishi Bhrigu and his disciples consumed Sattu regularly, and even the tradition of Sattu ka Sharbat traces back to those practices.”
The officer saw that sattu could also become a useful product in the health market. As more people are looking for foods with more protein, sattu already has many qualities that fit this demand.
Tests also showed that sattu contains nearly 22 grams of protein in every 100 grams. This makes it a strong source of plant-based protein, especially for people living in rural areas who may not have easy access to expensive protein products.
The change in Ballia's gram farming became clear within just two years. The land used for growing gram increased from 2500 hectares to nearly 5500 hectares.
Reportedly, a farmer may spend around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000 per hectare on gram cultivation. After the gram is processed and sold as sattu, district estimates suggest that the returns can reach around Rs 3 Lakh to Rs 5 Lakh.