Farmers’ Column: Patiala village’s Kulwinder Kaur breaking ground in the field of dairy entrepreneurship

Holding 11 acres of ancestral land, a matriculate Kulwinder, whose husband, Hardeep Singh Ghumaan, works arsenic a pharmacist successful Punjab authorities and cannot give overmuch clip to farming, took it upon herself to beryllium successful the driving spot of the family’s cultivation business. In a bold move, she decided to task into dairy farming, a subsidiary concern alongside their main cultivation occupation.

Where her household erstwhile owned lone a fewer cattle heads, contiguous Kulwinder has transformed their dairy cognition into a thriving business. Now, her household is supplying astir 60 to 70 quintals beverage monthly, which is worthy Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, making them financially comfy with nary debts related to either agriculture oregon immoderate different expenses. “We are gradually expanding the fig of our cattle heads and whitethorn commencement making beverage products successful future,” she said.

Currently Kulwinder manages a dairy cattle that has 30 cows, including 17 milking cows astatine immoderate fixed time. The remaining cows are either large oregon young. She adjacent sells the pistillate calves she rears which besides gain her a bully magnitude of money. “I person been taking attraction of the dairy completely, and I guarantee we turn each the indispensable fodder for the cows connected our ain land,” Kulwinder says, adding that “we besides marque silage (process of fermenting and storing greenish fodder for cattle), which tin beryllium utilized passim the year, truthful we are not babelike connected outer sources for feed”.

Currently Kulwinder manages a dairy cattle that has 30 cows, including 17 milking cows astatine immoderate fixed time. (Express Photo)

“Our farm, dispersed crossed 11 acres, is dedicated to a premix of accepted and currency crops. Around 7-8 acres are devoted to staple crops similar wheat, paddy, and basmati rice, portion the remaining onshore grows profitable currency crops similar onion, garlic, vegetables, turmeric, and fennel,” Kulwinder says, adding that “with agriculture we person to hold for immoderate clip to get income arsenic per the duration of the crop, but with dairy concern we gain regular which is simply a immense fiscal support”.

Not conscionable dairy business, she is arsenic progressive successful the fields.

“I americium profoundly progressive successful the cultivation activities successful the fields which astir of the women successful our country bash not get into. While my hubby and brother-in-law (husbands’s brother) grip the selling of beverage and currency crops, I look aft the crops, including harvesting erstwhile required. I besides instrumentality attraction of day-to-day farming operations and guarantee that everything runs smoothly.”

Kulwinder gives household recognition for being capable to bash this.

“My household has been precise supportive erstwhile I decided to tally a full-fledged dairy concern on with the cultivation activities. As a result, contiguous the household income has besides doubled,” she said.

Before entering dairy farming, Kulwinder had been engaged with stitching work. She adjacent taught young women and girls however to stitch and bash tie-dyeing work. But implicit time, her involvement shifted towards farming and dairy farming. Eleven years ago, she took ceremonial dairy farming grooming astatine the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) successful Patiala, and since past she hasn’t looked back, with her family’s dairy concern expanding rapidly.

Not lone does she turn fodder for the cows but Kulwinder besides utilises the onshore efficiently by cultivating different crops that payment the dairy business.

“We person aggregate crops that enactment successful tandem, and everything from onions and ail to vegetables gives america important profits,” she says.

“Through her dedication, Kulwinder has helped her household execute fiscal independency and success, balancing some dairy farming and harvest cultivation. Her communicative is simply a shining illustration of however women successful agrarian farming communities are breaking barriers and starring their families to prosperity. Her publication did not spell unnoticed arsenic she was presented ‘Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Grewal Memorial Award’ for being a progressive entrepreneur by Panjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana,” Dr Hardeep Singh Sabikhi, Deputy Director (Training), KVK, Patiala, said, adding that she has besides acquired grooming successful beverage production, phulkari embroidery, and tie-dyeing from KVK, Patiala, and is contributing to the economical maturation of her family.

“If each pistillate from farming families joins the fields, they tin marque important contributions done assorted subsidiary occupations and cultivation of currency crops, enhancing household income and making Punjab’s farmers debt-free,” said Kulwinder.