Dairy Farming: Surat Family Transforms Life with Business

Dairy Farming Business Plan Guide | Dairy farming has now become a big business sector in the country. A large number of people are self-employed and employed in it. In the olden days, people did not consider animal husbandry or milk selling as a business, but now it has become a profitable business. Nowadays people are leaving their jobs and joining the dairy business because the income in it is good.

Today, dairy business is playing an important role in improving the economic condition of many families in rural areas. You will get an idea of ​​how profitable dairy farming can prove to be by knowing the story of the Karavadra family of Surat. After joining the dairy business 35 years ago, the Karavadra family never had to look back.

In a conversation with Kisan of India correspondent Gaurav Manral, Karavadra family member Neetaben Murubhai Karavadra shared many important things related to this successful journey of the last three and a half decades, by adopting which you too can start a successful dairy farming business like the Karavadra family.

How did the number of buffaloes increase from 2 to 250?

The Karavadra family originally hails from Porbandar district. Neetaben tells that due to lack of continuous rain in the village, her in-laws came to Surat from Porbandar about 35 years ago. They also brought two buffaloes with them from the village, with the help of which they started a stable here. With hard work and developing basic understanding of dairy farming, as well as taking appropriate decisions at the right time according to the market requirements, they continued to move forward in this business.

The small stable that my in-laws started with just two buffaloes has now become a big dairy farm with 250 buffaloes. These buffaloes give around 900 to 950 liters of milk daily, which is supplied to different places in Surat city.

The family became a support for the unemployed by becoming self-reliant

The dairy business made the Karavadra family self-reliant and now this family has become a support for many other families in the area. Neetaben told that the dairy business that her in-laws have set up is now being taken forward by the whole family together. She and her husband, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law are involved in this work, and they have also employed five people to take care of the buffaloes. Their plan is that just as her in-laws have increased the number of buffaloes from 2 to 250, now the whole family together should take it to a thousand.

Take care of fodder, water and cleanliness

Neetaben says that apart from giving good fodder and water to buffaloes, cleanliness is also very important. It is important to bathe buffaloes twice a day and keep their living place clean. She gives jowar and bullet grass to her buffaloes. At the same time, dry rice fodder is mixed with shehri and given. The fodder of buffaloes does not change according to the season, but during the rainy season.

Caring for buffaloes like a family member

According to Neetaben, buffaloes have to be taken care of like children of the house. Only then they form a deep bond with the owner. When they fall ill, they have to be fed medicines on time. If needed, the sick buffalo is also taken to the doctor.

How to start a dairy farm? (Dairy Farming Business Plan Guide)

After seeing Neetaben’s success, if you are also thinking of starting a dairy farming business, then know how you can start it-

First of all, choose a suitable place to set up a dairy farm.

After deciding the right place, it is time to choose the animals. You have to see which breed of cow or buffalo is good, which will give you more profit.

Murrah and Mehsana are popular breeds of buffaloes. At the same time, popular breeds of cows include Sahiwal, Friesian and Jersey.

If you want to earn profit from dairy farming, then it is important to have a good understanding of the breed of your buffalo / cow. Select the breeds according to your area.

The price of a dairy animal also varies according to the breed. So choose the breed according to your budget.

Important things for a dairy farm

To start a dairy farm, you will need some things like-

Shed – Animals cannot always be kept in the open. It is important to make adequate arrangements to protect animals from cold and rain. Therefore, the place where animals are to be kept should be covered well by making a shed.

Arrangement of fodder and water – You will have to make proper arrangements for water and fodder according to the number of animals. Drinking water should be clean and the fodder should also be nutritious. For cows and buffaloes to give good milk, it is very important that you give them nutritious fodder. For this, you should also have some land where you can grow green fodder. Enough fodder can be grown on one acre of land to feed 8-10 cows.

Selection of breed and vaccination – Along with selecting animals of good breed for more milk production, also get them vaccinated to prevent diseases. Before starting a dairy farm, it is important to gather information about when cow vaccination should be done. 

Investment in Dairy Farm

Dairy farm is a business which if done with a little wisdom, is sure to be profitable. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the demand for milk is never going to decrease. In such a situation, the future of dairy business will remain bright. If you want, you can also earn extra by making curd, cheese, ghee etc. from milk. You may have to invest Rs 10-20 lakh to start a small-scale dairy business. A subsidy of 25 to 50 percent is also given by the government for dairy business. This subsidy may vary in different states.

Loan for Dairy Business

To promote dairy farming, loan is also given from the bank under the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme. The special thing is that subsidy is also available on this loan. If you want to open a dairy of 10 animals, then for this you will have to arrange up to Rs 10 lakh. Under the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture, you can get a subsidy of up to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Value Addition Products from Dairy

In dairy farming, farmers can earn extra income by selling milk as well as other milk products like curd, ghee, paneer, mawa, sweets etc. Apart from this, income can also be earned by selling cow dung. Cow dung is in great demand as agricultural fertilizer.

Of course, dairy farming is a profitable business but it is not as easy as it looks. It is important to gather information about cleanliness of animals, fodder, water and their diseases as well as ensure timely arrangements for the same. If we work with wisdom and patience, then this challenge can also be turned into success.