Investing a little in goat rearing turned around their lives

There is no such rule that cattle rearing is an occupation practiced only in rural areas. But as compared to few random and scattered urban people who run a farm, it is a part and parcel of daily life in some rural areas. My field visits take me to all sorts of villages in the Belgaum district of Karnataka, and 8 out of 10 houses have a goat, a sheep, a cow or a buffalo. My most recent visit was to Parmanandawadi, a village located 89 kilometers north of Belgaum, and there I had an opportunity to meet Renuka Sankonatti and Anita Mang. Renuka and Anita are former Devadasis, and in an effort to make a better life, they took a Milaap loan to leverage on the cattle rearing business practiced so passionately in these parts of India.

 

Renuka has 1 daughter and 3 sons. All four of them are in school and her husband works in a medical store. She utilized the loan amount to buy a goat and her goat now has 1 kid. 

 

Anita’s husband works as an agricultural laborer. Their household income was always meager and they had no future security. She decided to change that and took a loan and bought a goat with that amount. Her goat is now pregnant. 

 

Goat rearing is mainly used as a future investment and to earn huge returns in a lump sum. Every goat gives around 10 to 12 kids in her lifetime and owners are able to earn profits ranging from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 10,000 on selling each kid. Same is the case with Renuka and Anita. They no longer worry about any future requirement; they took a good decision and made a solid investment.