Buffalo farming transforms family’s fortune

By Our Correspondent

Rukum (West), Nov. 9: Tilak Bahadur Khatri, 55, of Musikot Municipality-2, Kalachyuri has been rearing buffaloes for the last 29 years.

Tilak’s day, which begins from 4 am in the morning, ends only at 10 pm at night.

He spends his days cleaning the buffalo shed, cutting grass, milking, taking care of buffaloes and selling dairy products.

In the year 2050 B.S., when he built the buffalo shed, there were only three buffaloes in his shed. The milk given by that buffalo was 16 manas a day.

A member of the Khatri family had to travel for four hours to reach the headquarters of Musikot, Khalanga, early in the morning to sell the milk every day.

Khatri informed that at that time, the price of one mana of milk was Rs. 5 and it was a good income even then.

Now, there have been significant changes in the life of the Khatri family from the buffalo farming.

His two sons are now helping him in buffalo farming. One of them is a civil servant but he too helps from time to time.

The Khatri family, which has been rearing buffaloes traditionally, is now involved in commercial buffalo farming. Not only the milk of their house, but also the milk of the neighbours is being collected and sold.

This family, which used to sell milk for Rs. 5 per mana almost three decades ago, now buys milk from others and sells it for Rs. 75 per litre.

Model agricultural firm

Shiddhababa Agricultural Firm, run by the Khatri family, has now become a model agricultural firm in the district. This firm now has 17 milking buffaloes of advanced breed. Three milking cows are also kept in the farm.

Six members of the Khatri family engage in the farm. Three other people have also been given employment in the firm. The firm has become a model in the district.

Milk collection and sale

The Khatri family, which has been selling milk by walking on foot for two decades, also has a vehicle for collecting and selling milk.

Ramesh Khatri, owner of Shiddhababa Agricultural Firm, said that he bought a vehicle for the milk business at a cost of Rs. 3.2 million.

He said that they had received a subsidy from the District Animal Service Centre and Veterinary Hospital for the purchase of the vehicle.

Now about 80 to 90 litres of milk is produced from this firm, which is now headed by Tilak's son Ramesh.

Ramesh said that the milk produced at their home and collected from the village was taken to Rukum West and Rukmu East for sale.

Taking more than 170 litres of milk daily, the vehicle reaches Musikot Khalanga in the west of Rukum and Rukumkot, the headquarters in the east of Rukum.

The Khatri family has also run dairies in Musikot Khalanga and Rukumkot. More than 250 litres of milk is being sold daily from these two places.

Encouraged with government grants

The Khatri family, which has been engaged in commercial buffalo breeding since 2073 BS, has received subsidies from various agencies.

They got a subsidy of Rs. 600,000 in 2075 while constructing buffalo shed and also 30 per cent subsidy was received from the then Veterinary Hospital and Animal Services Expert Centre for buying a vehicle in 2077.

Ramesh said that he was more excited to receive an award of Rs. 25,000 as the best farmer in the municipality.

They also received an incentive of Rs. 24,000 in 2077 under the programme of giving subsidy of Rs. 3 per litre of milk by the municipality.

He said that grants, incentives and awards have given him more encouragement.

In 2052 BS, when milk was sold for Rs. 5 per mana, milk worth Rs. 30,000 was sold per month. Today, the same family has an annual milk business of around Rs. 6,000,000, he said.