Hanumakonda: As visitors enter Kummarigudem village, each house greets them with a cow, which is considered sacred by many faiths. As they proceed inside, they are greeted by the natural aroma of milk. Ghee comes next in the hallway, and it replenishes both the soul and the mind.
Farmers in this community practised simple farming until ten years ago, but they have now embraced the organic farming of Marupaka Koti, a local farmer, to boost their revenue and save for the future.
A small village in the Hanumakonda district of Telangana, Kummarigudem, has been turned into a model village in the state, inspiring others to take innovation in dairy farming to be free from debt.
With at least one cow per household, the village has now transformed into a thriving community full of wealth and prosperity.
From Struggling Farmers To Successful Entrepreneurs
In 2014, farmers of Kummarigudem would earn a meagre income as they would practice traditional farming. However, the trained agriculturist, Koti encouraged them to shift to organic cultivation, which gave them good returns.
After years of struggle, Koti sought help from Dr Sarjana Ramesh, Koorapati Venkatanarayana and a German philanthropist, Monika Rettering, and introduced sustained dairy farming in the village.
A Helping Hand
A devotee of Puttaparthi Saibaba and a German citizen, Rettering start supporting families of farmer suicide victims. Initially, she provided 30 families with one cow each, which helped them to start earning from selling milk.
In the next step, she installed milk collection and ghee-making machines, which increased the products and earnings.
Financial Transformation With Dairy Boom
Currently, the village has almost 200 cows across 60 families, which produce 50 kg of ghee monthly, out of which 25 kg is exported to foreign countries like the US, UK and Germany.
“The remaining ghee is sold to Ayurvedic doctors in Hanumakonda, Warangal, and Hyderabad,” says a villager.
“In the past, our family income was Rs 3,000 per month but now it has increased to Rs 8,000 a month after rearing cows. This solved our financial problems. We are educating two children without any debt. Many families like us are struggling financially,” said Marupaka Koti, a farmer.
Quality Products
Moreover, the village's success in organic farming and quality products made out of cow milk has inspired others also to adopt this profession as their litre of milk sells for Rs. 120, while pure ghee fetches Rs. 4,000 per kg.
The success of Kummarigudem is an inspiring example of sustainable agricultural methods and rural development.
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