RISING POPULARITY OF DAIRY FARMING AMONG SHGS-A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The  present  paper  depicts that  dairying  is  one  of the vital  components  of  animal  husbandry and  has  become  an  important  secondary  source  of  income. India is one of the largest milk producers of the world since 1997. Now-a-days, dairy farming financed by microfinance and Self-Help  Groups  (SHG)  has  become  a  ladder  for  the  poor  to  break  out  from  the  state  of impoverishment and also give them a boost to feel secure, socially and psychologically. Even the  landless  labourers  and  households  can  rear  a  couple  of  animals  where  the  facilities  for collection  of  milk  as well  as  veterinary  facilities  are  available. For  the  villagers  today’s diary  is  both  a  healthy  and  wealthy  occupation. Small  diary  of  two  high  yielding  cows has become  an  attractive  economic  proposition  for  the  SHG  members, particularly  women. Women with queuing in front of the society to supply milk in the early morning are a familiar scene in the rural areas today. The moment village women think about self-employment, the first business idea comes to her memory is a diary. Dairy farming is an ecofriendly business and  can  be  easily  ventured  into  and  is  capital  light  and  quick  yielding  also. Field  study experience  identified a few  of  the  successful  women  members  who  involved  completely  in SHG  movement  and  graduated  as  women  entrepreneurs  in  dairy  farming and  empowered both  economically  and  socially. In  a  male  dominated  society, women  have  always  been underestimated  and  discriminated  in  all  spheres  of  life.  The  paper  concludes  that  women development  and  empowerment  to  a  great  extent  depends  upon  the  economic  empowerment of  women  and  microfinance  through  dairy  farming  can  prove  to  be  a  very  powerful  self-employment venture for women empowerment in the times to come.