Periya Kalrayan Millet Women Farmerproducer Company Limited

Up here in the Kalrayan Malai hills, we do things a bit differently. We are a group of women farmers who formed this company. Our place is at 271, Merkutheru in Kottamputhur village, which is part of the Vellimalai area. It’s a long way up from the main towns in Kallakuruchi or Villupuram. We mostly grow millets because they survive well in our rocky soil and the cooler mountain air. Being a women-led producer company is something we are proud of, even if it is a lot of hard work. We spend our days out on the slopes and then meet at the office on Merkutheru. The building is simple and fits right into the village. We handle all the cleaning and packing of the millets ourselves. We don't have expensive machines, just basic tools and our own hands. Life in the hills is quiet but the work is never finished. Sometimes the roads down the mountain get blocked after a heavy rain, which makes it hard to send our goods to the market. We just sit together, drink some tea, and plan for the next day. We aren't interested in being a big corporation. We just want to make sure the women in our village get a fair deal for their millets. It’s a community thing for us. If you visit Vellimalai, you’ll find us working away.