Dairy Business: Ashley John ventured in 2013 with 5 cows
Ashley John left teacher's job for dairy business, looks after entire work from tempo running to milk supply
Women have a very important role in animal husbandry. Most of the animal husbandry activities like feeding, watering, health care, management, milking, preparing curd, cheese, whey from milk at home level are done by women. Despite all this, their work is not appreciated that much. Things have definitely changed now. Now women are coming forward as an entrepreneur in the field of dairy. One such woman is Ashley John from Kottayam, Kerala. She left the profession of teacher and chose dairy business.
The journey was not easy
After working as a high school teacher for several years, Ashley John decided to pursue her passion and ventured into the dairy industry. However, her path was not easy. In the beginning, she faced many difficulties, but with the spirit of never giving up, she kept moving forward.
Started with 5 cows
Ashley John ventured into dairy business in 2013 with 5 cows. Dairy, Agriculture, Veterinary and other concerned departments extended full cooperation to her. As on date, she has about 65 cows. Along with milk, she also sells milk products like curd, ghee, etc. Due to this, there is a good increase in her income.
Fruits of hard work
Success didn’t come easy to Ashley John. Behind this is her dedication and hard work. Her daily routine starts at 3 in the morning. She reaches her farm at around 3.15 am. From driving commercial vehicles to doing many farm activities, she does it herself. Her success stories have been broadcast on many newspapers and channels and she has become a source of inspiration for women.
Received many awards
She has received Gram Panchayat Best Farmer Award in 2013-14, Block Panchayat Best Farmer Award, Kottayam District Award for Best Women Entrepreneur in 2015-16 and Kerala State Award for Best Women Entrepreneur in 2016-17.
Role of women in dairy industry
Indian Council of Agricultural Research and DRWA conducted a research in 9 states to know the participation of women in animal husbandry. It showed that the participation of women in animal husbandry is about 58 percent and in fish farming it is up to 95 percent. Not only this, according to data from the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), women account for nearly 50 per cent of the total labour force in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in 23 states. According to this report, in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, the share of rural women is almost 70 percent.
Dairy business is a good way to make rural women self-reliant. However, for this they need to be given the right training. Where women have got proper training related to animal care, breed selection, management etc., women are creating new records of success in dairy industry.
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