Commercial goat rearing for livelihood

By Our Correspondent,Ghorahi, Dec. 26: At a time when the traditional occupation was unable to manage the households, Kamala Periyar, a resident of Rajpur Rural Municipality-4, Dulaiya, was responsible for taking care of the household along with her parents after her two brothers neglected them.

Although she had the responsibility of managing the household expenditure, she did not have skills, nor did she have any property.

Economically weak Dalit community's Kamala could not think of what to do. But Kamala, who understood that life favours those who struggle, dared to show it by doing something.

And, at first, she chose the work of tailoring that his father Dal Bahadur Damai was doing. Kamala, who learned tailoring for a few days with the help of a non-governmental organisation, made her father's old occupation means earning a living, but could not earn much.

To support the family, tailoring gave some income, but the financial problems of her family could not be removed, with only one piece of land in the name of property.

Therefore, three years ago with the aim of creating an alternative source of income, she started rearing two goats on sharing-basis with a villager. Kamala, who had traditionally started rearing goats for home use, has changed her life since the Centre for Human Welfare and Conservation provided Rs. 50,000 for goat rearing.

Kamala, who chose goat rearing to run her household, has succeeded in becoming an entrepreneur with the help of the same Rs. 50,000. The business that started with six goats has reached 30 in two years.

Kamala said that she has earned Rs. 150,000 by selling six goats in this year's Dashain alone.

"I bought six goats for Rs. 50,000 and started a business. Now there are more than 30 goats on my farm. 

I have already sold about 10-15 goats," she said. There are seven goats which are ready for sale, she said.

Kamala, who has thought of making a living by earning income from commercial goat rearing, said that the aim is to rear goats by building an organised goat shed. "Men and women from different parts of the country are going to foreign countries to earn money. 

But instead of going out, I have the idea of doing something at home in the village," she said. 

"That's why I am engaged in commercial goat rearing. As the business grows, the income is also good. I am happy with my work." Although there is a problem of grass for goat rearing, she thought of cultivating grass to solve it.

Mother Amrita Pariyar said that she is satisfied when her daughter earns money by doing the work that her sons should do at home.

"Sons went to India to earn money and forgot about us. They do not return home even for years," said mother Amrita, "but her daughter has been raising goats professionally by staying at home." According to Kamala, two brothers went to India for employment, but both of them have not returned home for about 5-6 years.