Mumbai: In order to earn better profit and to financially support their families, around 100 tribal women farmers from Jawhar and Mokhada villages in Palghar availed goats on loan from a Goat Bank.
The scheme is made available in association with ‘Goat Bank of Karkheda’, Akola, run by Naresh Deshmukh, a progressive farmer. The bank has been integrated with State Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal under the Department of Women and Child Development to provide goats to women hailing from economically weaker sections.
Vaidehi Wadhan, president, Zilla Parishad, Palghar informed that around 100 women farmers ventured into goat rearing.
To avail a ‘Goat loan’ one has to pay ₹1,100, and get a goat, most likely a pregnant one. In the 40 months to follow, the buyer takes care of the goat and her lambs. Within this span of 40 months, four lambs are to be returned to the bank. The returned lambs are then raised at the bank and when they grow old enough, they are sold to four other women for ₹1,100 each.
Sunil Bhusara, MLA from Mokhada shared, “We distributed one pregnant goat, and also a male goat (called bucks) with every 10 female goats, to the beneficiaries and according to our estimates, every family taking a goat on loan under this scheme would earn a profit of around ₹2.5 lakh.”
Vaidehi Wadhan added, “A goat has two or three kids in seven to eight months, and if those kids are well-nourished, they become productive in a year and is a good money-making option for the women.”
As per the 20th Cattle Census conducted in October 2018, the total number of goats in India is 148.9 million, and Maharashtra has around 10.6 million goats, said an official.