India’s women-led manure cooperative society- Mujkuva Sakhi Khad , Anand,Gujrat has been granted National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)’s trademark ‘Sudhan’ for making natural bio slurry-based fertilizers.
Shri Dilip Rath, Chairman, NDDB, launched the next
phase of NDDB-supported Manure Management Initiative in a programme at
Mujkuva Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS) on October 23, 2020. Shri
Meenesh Shah, Executive Director, NDDB; Shri Chimanbhai Punambhai
Padhiyar, Chairman, Mujkuva DCS; Ms Hemaben Nareshbhai Padhiyar,
Chairman, Sakhi Khad Mandli; Ms Sarojben Thakorbhai Padhiyar, Sarpanch
and Shri Manubhai Padhiyar, former Sarpanch graced the occasion.
During the programme, women farmers were handed over biogas plants and
the newly-established Mujkuva Sakhi Khad Sahakari Mandli was granted
NDDB’s Trademark ‘Sudhan’ for manufacturing bio slurry-based organic
fertilisers.150 women farmers of Mujkuva village have been sanctioned
biogas plants for the next phase of the initiative. These are in
addition to the 42 biogas plants installed earlier.In order to promote
Ayurvedic Veterinary Medicine (AVM), medicinal plants were also
distributed to women farmers.
Chief Guest of the programme, Shri Dilip Rath appreciated the women
farmers of Mujkuva for coming forward and adopting a new technology of
biogas plants.Under NDDB’s Manure Management Initiative, biogas plants
are installed by the dairy farmers in their backyard for producing gas
to be used as cooking fuel. The bio slurry produced from these biogas
plants is primarily used by the farmers in their own field and surplus
bio slurry gets sold to other farmers or converted in to organic
fertilisers.
Mujkuva Sakhi Khad Sahakari Mandli, which was earlier coordinating the
management and sale of surplus bio slurry from women members, will now
also take up slurry processing and manufacturing of organic
fertiliser. NDDB’s Sudhan trademark will help the Mandli in creating
an identity and ensuring quality of products.
Lauding the decision of Mujkuva Sakhi Khad Sahakari Mandli for also
venturing into slurry processing and manufacturing of organic
fertiliser, Shri Rath said that this Mandli, which is the country’s
first women led Manure Cooperative, will inspire many more such
initiatives across the nation. He further mentioned that NDDB has
started work on supporting two more such projects in Begusarai
district of Bihar and Cuttack district of Odisha.
It is evident from the last two years’ experience with these biogas
plants that significant savings on cooking fuel expenses have been
achieved by the users. Moreover, all the women biogas users have
reported reduction in drudgery in bringing and burning fuel wood, and
related health hazards.
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