COW PROJECT FOR YOUNG FARMERS IN RURAL PINGORI, PUNE, INDIA
FOCUS AREA: This is a humanitarian project which will provide local cows to 30 young farmers in Pingori village, about 70 km southwest of Pune. It falls under the Rotary focus area of economic and community development.
PROJECT NEED: Farming in rural India is not a lucrative professional especially for the youth, who prefer to migrate to urban towns and cities to seek employment and opportunities. This cow project will provide an opportunity for the rural youth to remain in the village and build a steady sustainable income from the sale of milk directly to urban customers.
PROJECT DETAILS: The goal is to carefully select 30 young villagers, who are willing to self-finance 50% of the cost of two local Gir cows for dairy purposes. Rotary will finance the remaining 50% of the cost of the cows. Two cows will provide a steady income for the young dairy farmers throughout the year, despite a dry period of 4 months for each cow. Each cow gives about 12 liters of 4.5% fat content milk for 250 days, providing a monthly income of Rs 12,500 from direct sales. Including lactation periods for each cow, Rs 25,000 monthly income should sustain a rural family and their cows comfortably. Each family can grow their number of cows by breeding to further raise their incomes. The increasing cattle population will also be able to provide cow-dung manure for the local farmers for organic farming.
PROJECT COST:
Cost of cows: Rs 60,000 X 2 = Rs 120,000
Number of beneficiaries: 30 and their families directly
Total Cost of Cows: Rs 120,000 X 30 = Rs 36,00,000
Beneficiaries Share: 50% through self-finance: Rs 18,00,000
Rotary's Support Share: Rs 18,00,000
Insurance & Vet costs for first 3 years: Rs 1800/cow per year
Rs 1800 X 60 X 3 = Rs 3,24,000
Contingencies, Training & Travel: Rs 2,16,170
Total Project Costs: Rs 23,40,170 ($33,431 @ Rs 70=$1.00)
PROPOSED FINANCING:
Contributors Contribution TRF Matching
Host Clubs (Aundh/Partners) $ 3954 $ 1977
International Partner Club/s $ 5000 $ 2500
Host District 3131 (DDF) $ 5000 $ 5000
International District RID (DDF) $ 5000 $ 5000
Total $ 18954 $ 14477
Grand Total $ 33431 (Rs 23,40,170)
Note: A need based assessment is underway to estimate the feasibility, implementation, financial cost and benefits of this project. Rotary has done water conservation, drip irrigation, desilting & excavation, organic farming, tree plantation, school computer laboratory, Rotary Distance Education Program and several such projects in Pingori over the past five years.
Contacts:
Rtn Sandesh Savant, sandeshsavant@rediffmail.com
91 98220 91102
Rtn Baba Shinde, babashinde@rediffmail.com, 91 98811 91351
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