: ‘I’ve Experienced Hunger’: Millet Man Builds Rs 1 Cr Biz, Makes Nutrition Accessible #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs From working various odd jobs, which included driving a truck, to today running

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‘I’ve Experienced Hunger’: Millet Man Builds Rs 1 Cr Biz, Makes Nutrition Accessible #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs
From working various odd jobs, which included driving a truck, to today running a company with an annual turnover upwards of Rs 1 crore — Veer Shetty Biradar has a very inspiring story.
Often referred to as the Millet Man of Telangana, Veer says, “I am the eldest of three sons and come from a family of farmers. We were not very financially sound and that was one of the reasons I had to quit studying after I completed Class 9. � He hails from Gangapur village, Jharasangam mandal in Sangareddy district.
Looking back at an incident that shaped his life, the 50-year-old says, “In 2006 I was travelling to Beed in Maharashtra. All through my journey, there was not one place where I could find either a decent meal or even something small to eat. That was the first time I experienced hunger and starvation. � What struck him the most was how people in that district were used to that life.
Hunger and starvation were common in the district.
Veer Shetty Biradar The Millet Man.
“I could not forget that feeling. Even after I came back to Telangana I kept thinking of how I could help the people in Beed. I wanted to produce food for the future generations after coming back from Maharashtra,� says Veer.
So, he started by growing sorghum and millets. “The fact that both these crops required less water and could grow in adverse weather conditions was a huge plus. Also, the nutritional value of these crops is very high. �
Since Veer came from a family of farmers, he had a basic understanding of growing food. He says, “My training as an assistant to Dr C H Ravindra Reddy, who was the principal scientist in the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), helped me immensely. �
It was here that Veer began to get a deeper insight into farming. While working, Veer also attended classes via distance learning at Telangana’s Dr B R Ambedkar Open University to complete his graduation. He continued to work with Dr Reddy till 2016 while steadily growing millets on his farmland.
Making Nutritious Food Accessible
All made with millets.
In his 13 acres of dry land and 5 acres of irrigated land, Veer grows sugarcane, chickpea, red gram, jowar, bajra, foxtail millet and finger millet. In 2009, Veer started a value-added centre for millets in Chandanagar, Hyderabad, under the name of S S Bhavani Foods Pvt Ltd. Within seven years, his company developed 60 value-added millet products from sorghum, bajra, foxtail millet and finger millet.
On the nutritional value of millet, he says, “Millets are the superfoods for the future generation. Millet is also at low risk of pest attack and can be grown under any weather condition.

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