After proving their mettle in joint farming ventures and marketing of home-made products, the Kudumbasree members at Koyilandy municipality are going to try their hands at goat farming. On Thursday, five women opened their goat farm with 25 goats.
Koyilandy municipal chairperson K. Santha inaugurated the venture in the presence of standing committee chairpersons and councillors. The project has been launched with the financial subsidy and patronage of the municipality.
Ms. Santha said there was a total investment of Rs.4 lakh. Bank loans were also arranged.
She said the plan was to help these women work in association with the Wayanad-based Brahmagiri meat processing unit and find a steady market. Earlier, a five-woman group had launched a similar farm on an experimental basis, which was now running successfully with their tie-up with the farmers-owned Brahmagiri unit.
The entrepreneurs would also try to market goat milk, which was hardly available in the market. They said the medicinal value of the milk would be high as they were maintaining a native breed of livestock. “We got the goats for our farm from the Kudumbasree ‘goat village’ in Kannur district,” they added.
The farm is functioning from a rented property at Panthalayani village. The women will take care of it taking turns and the profit will be shared equally.
According to municipal authorities, funds will be sanctioned for setting up more such farms.
