Lucknow-based couple Aishwarya Bhatnagar and Prateek Rastogi founded Greenday to improve food security by supporting farmers in shifting to biofortified seeds.

These seeds are genetically enhanced through conventional breeding techniques to increase the concentration of vitamins and minerals in crops. This helps in addressing nutritional deficiencies, especially in rural and impoverished communities.

Aishwarya says, “Looking at the anaemia and stunting data of our country, it is clear that we do not get enough nutrients from the food we eat.”

“Nutrition shouldn’t be a luxury but a right for us all Indians. It’s something everyone deserves access to, and cannot be a privilege for a few. After closely working with farmers, we saw the potential in something as small as a seed,” she adds.

The couple offers a variety of biofortified seeds, including pearl millet, wheat, and mustard, which are staples in the Indian diet. These crops are enriched with essential micronutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin A.

By actively reaching out to farmers through workshops, the startup educates them about the benefits of switching to biofortified seeds.

The use of biofortified seeds also reduces input costs by decreasing dependency on urea fertiliser. Sukhwinder, a farmer, says he has to now add as little as half a rag of fertiliser as against three rags of urea on an acre of land.

Prateek mentions that biofortified seeds give almost 80 percent more nutritional value but farmers may have to take a dip of up to 5 per cent in yield. But the premium rates for such produce covers up the yield loss.

For instance, Sukhwinder is earning Rs 2,600 per quintal against the Rs 2,000 rate for regular wheat. “The overall benefits far outweigh any minor differences in productivity,” he adds.

Today, at least 15,000 farmers in Uttar Pradesh are reaping the benefits by transitioning from traditional to biofortified seeds.