Empowering women: Maharashtra’s all-women dairy enterprise
In the drought affected region of Marathwada in Maharashtra, agriculture is majorly dependent on rainfall. Thus, livestock farming is an important source of income for the people. However, the families hardly earn any money from it because of the lack of skills on how to run a business and the incredibly low rates that they get from the existing dairies. To add onto it, these businesses are male dominated and the money earned hardly returns back to the family.
“Though women put the effort into taking care of animals, milking, they hardly get paid for their efforts. Husbands had no problem giving milk to our dairy but they had a problem with online payment. They tried their best to dissuade women from joining this dairy,” shares Shila Bhojane, who is a mentor in the program.
To empower women through entrepreneurship, SSP, under UMED scheme has started the all-women dairy enterprise in Marathwada called Lakshmi Centre. This dairy is empowering women by availing money in their hands and teaching them skills how to run business. However, it has been a difficult journey to convince the women and their families to let the women lead their businesses. It pays the money to the women directly to their banks on the 10th day and no cash is given out.
Today, over 1250 women livestock farmers in the drought affected Marathwada are producing and selling over 2200 liters of milk.
“The milk is collected from around the villages, it is then packed and sold in over 500 households in Latur. We are now in the process of expanding the enterprises in Ausa in Latur and Kalamb in Washim district,” said Tabassum Momin, project director, SSP.
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https://swayamshikshanprayog.org/voices-of-women/
www.rangde.in/ssp