The Amma Farm Women Group based at Vellivalasu, near Arachalur, in Modakurichi taluk has been tasting success in the manufacture of animal feed in recent months.
The group with 20 members has so far manufactured and sold 45 tonnes of high-quality animal feed to farmers in villages in Modakurichi block over the last three months.
The group, which had invested Rs. 10 lakh, has in its possession 20 tonnes of inputs for the sought-after product brand-named CP Animal Feed.
The group has been manufacturing the product with inputs sourced from local farmers with machinery taken on lease. The group had undergone training in the manufacture of the product at the Animal Feed Analytical and Quality Assurance Laboratory, Namakkal, under Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme, Agriculture Department officials said. The group has been able to sell the quality feed at competitive price to farmers.
At a formal inauguration of the product sale on Saturday, Director of Agriculture M. Rajendran accorded a thrust to the group’s initiative by recommending bank loan for purchase of machinery for setting up manufacturing and construction of a godown.
In his address, Mr. Rajendran said Tamil Nadu has attained self-sufficiency in food grain production. Widespread soil testing and guidance on use of manure, use of certified seeds, forecast of information pertaining to rainfall and pest attack, and digging of 70,000 farm ponds were among factors contributed to high productivity.
On the income generation initiative by the farm women group, Mr. Rajendran said there were 1,530 Amma Mahalir Pannai Kuzhus initiated under the Department of Agriculture and another 220 under Department of Horticulture.
District Collector S. Prabakar, Modakurichi MLA R.N. Kittusamy, and other senior officials took part. Assuring support to the farm women group, Mr. Prabakar suggested replacement of sugar with molasses in the manufacture process.
There are 32 more farm women groups in the district with the help of which the market base for animal feed will be expanded, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Modakurichi, Kulandaivelu, and Assistant Director of Horticulture in the same block Gunasekaran said.
Direct procurement and direct sale of the animal feed have not only provided the group the cost advantage, the milk yield of animals consuming the product has also increased by 10 to 15 per cent, they said.
