JAGATSINGHPUR: At 62, Sanjukta Das proves that age can hardly be a barrier to achieve life goals. When she decided to take up livestock farming, the objective was not merely to improve her own financial condition; she wanted to demonstrate that rural women could build sustainable livelihoods through systematic farming and, in the process, create employment opportunities for others.
Today, Sanjukta’s determination has transformed a modest livelihood initiative into a growing piggery and dairy enterprise that is inspiring scores of rural women to explore farming as a sustainable source of income. She herself earns a handsome Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 a month.
She began her journey with the formation of the Haraparbati Self-Help Group (SHG) in 2000. The group had 10 members, and Sanjukta was its secretary. Over the years, she and the other members undertook several income-generating activities, including running a PDS dealership, cooking under the mid-day meal programme, and preparing incense sticks, papad and badi. They sold their products at exhibitions organised by the district administration and the state government.
However, Sanjukta wanted to create a more stable and sustainable source of livelihood. In 2024, she decided to venture into piggery and dairy farming, initially investing just Rs 10,000 in the livestock venture with support from the SHG. The initiative gradually expanded as the pigs multiplied, with each sow producing around 10 to 12 piglets a year. She now sells around 40 to 50 pigs annually at prices ranging from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000, depending on their size. The pigs are supplied to buyers in Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and other places.
The dairy unit, meanwhile, has emerged as another major source of income. Sanjukta currently sells around 150 litres of milk every day to local consumers and women’s SHGs. She also supplies milk to local women’s SHGs at a reduced price, helping them earn additional income through milk collection and marketing.
Her two farming units have also become a source of employment. Five people, including two women, are engaged in piggery and dairy activities. One of the workers, who was previously unemployed, now earns around Rs 20,000 a month working across the two units.
The expansion of the enterprise required substantial investment. According to Sanjukta, her total investment has reached around Rs 10.95 lakh. Of this, she availed herself of a bank loan of Rs 3.95 lakh, invested Rs 1 lakh in the enterprise and spent around Rs 6 lakh on infrastructure and construction using her own resources.
The benefits of her enterprise, however, have extended beyond her own family. Women’s SHGs in the locality have established linkages with her dairy unit. Mahalaxmi SHG, for instance, has opened a milk collection centre and procures around 100 to 120 litres of milk from Sanjukta’s dairy farm, creating an additional source of income for its members.
Sanjukta’s success has also prompted other women in the locality to take up dairy farming, goat rearing, poultry farming and small businesses. Women’s SHGs visit her farm on exposure visits and seek guidance on livestock management and income-generating activities.
For Sanjukta, the success of her enterprise is meaningful only when it benefits others. “I wanted to become financially self-reliant, but my larger objective was to improve the socio-economic condition of rural women by creating sustainable income and employment opportunities through piggery and dairy farming,” she said.
She is now planning to expand both farming units, strengthen links with government and private buyers, undergo advanced training and develop a wider market network.
From starting with an investment of just Rs 10,000 to building an enterprise with a total investment of nearly Rs 11 lakh, Sanjukta has shown that determination, collective action and management can turn livestock farming into a powerful tool for rural economic empowerment. And that age is just a number.