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Six women of Vepanagandla Village in Kurnool district have shown that working together can achieve good results.
Each of them, barring one, had one or two buffaloes. Their husbands worked as labourers. The money spent on feeding the buffaloes was more than their income from selling the milk they produced. The women did not know what to do.
They learnt from the nearby Nandikotkur Village that the milk yield would increase if they fed the buffaloes with Coimbatore 1 variety of grass. But they did not know how to get this grass. They decided to ask Khasim, a member of the watershed development team. He provided them with information related not only to the procurement of the grass but also on its use. He also directed them to the Assistant Project Director who was impressed by their enthusiasm and immediately sanctioned funds under the Productivity Enhancement funds of the project. He told them that forming a group would be to their advantage.
The six women belonged to three different self-help groups. Khasim got the village organisation to sanction them Rs.30, 000. They did not have land to produce the grass. They found a landowner willing to lease them one acre of land at Rs.20, 000 per annum.
They spent Rs.5, 000 to procure the saplings, and planted them in the field. They watered the field once a fortnight and applied urea 20:20 just once. The Co-1 grass was planted in thirty rows. Within a month the grass grew to a height of five to six feet. They cut six rows at one time. By the time the last rows were cut the first six rows had grown again. This grass grows continuously for 2-3 years without any problem.
The women were overjoyed. The grass was really miraculous. The yield from the buffaloes doubled. Their income from selling milk increased from Rs.500-Rs.1, 000 per month to Rs.5, 000-Rs.7, 000.
Milk yield (per buffalo per time):-
Earlier yield After feeding her Co-1 Grass
1-1.5 litres 3-4 litres
2-2.5 litres 5-7 litres
3 litres 7-8 litres
Fat content
5% 10%
The above comparison clearly shows a 2-3 litres increase in the yield, i.e. a minimum of Rs.20 as additional income from each buffalo. All six members used this additional income to buy more buffaloes and further improve their income.
Name of member: No. of buffaloes earlier: No. of buffaloes now:
P. Mariamma 2 6
P. Meramma 1 5 + 2 Calves
P. Ramanamma 0 3
C. Ratnamma 3 8
K. Mariamma 2 5
Lachchamma 1 3
One bundle (Mopu) of this grass is available for Rs.20-Rs.25 in the open market and one animal can easily eat more than one bundle in a day. This means that the cost of grass for each animal is on an average Rs.25-Rs.30 per day and Rs.750 per month. Working collectively the six families were able to avoid this cost which led to their making a good profit.
The dairy farm that procured milk from them also gave them loans. Mariamma took a loan of Rs.1.5 lakhs for her daughter’s wedding. The families of these women now eat good food and send their children to school.
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