Entreprenurship: 24-year-old script success story in dairy farming



by SUMAN GAZMER

GANGTOK, August 29: Dairy farming for a 24-year-old man from West Sikkim has become a success story in the State, where majority of the people run after white colour jobs or look out for shortcuts.

Bijay Sharma, who hails from Gelling, West Sikkim has set an example not only for those youths who are spoiling their life by choosing the wrong path but also to those who are always searching for white colour jobs. He has instead chosen to help his parents in dairy farming, which has become a medium of livelihood for the Sharma family for over 20 years now.

After obtaining Higher Secondary Certificate in Tourism from Chakung Senior Secondary School, West Sikkim, Bijay thought it better to be involved in dairy farming.

His love for dairy farming was injected by his father Santosh Sharma and mother Ram Maya Sharma since childhood days. “Whenever I pass out my exams, I used to demand more cows as prize,” says the 24-year-old. Today, the Sharma family has 40 cows, out of which 20 are milching. Each cow, he informs gives a maximum 24 litres and minimum of 16 litres milk in a day. With daily supply 250-300 litres of mil everyday, the family earns Rs. 1.70 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh in a month.

They have species like Holliston, Cross Breed, Jersey, Belaiyeti etc, and are mostly bought from Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Mangpo and Nepal which costs Rs 25,000 to 45,000. It is no wonder that their cow shed has become the centre of exposure visit for the trainees of Animal Husbandry.

Interestingly, the family albeit in the business for the past two decades has been reaping benefits without taking any kind of loans and government assistance save the one breeding bull that has been provided by the State Animal Husbandry Department when artificial insemination could not be successful for their cows.

Appreciating the efforts of this family, the State Government had presented cash reward of Rs 20,000 in 2007. The Chief Minister Pawan Chamling handed over the reward to Bijay’s mother Ram Maya Sharma.

Now as parents are becoming older, Bijay is looking after the farm and necessary arrangement for the cows. He wakes up at 3 am everyday and engages himself in feeding the cows and cleaning the shed. “By 7 am, I reach Jorethang Market for door to door supply of the milk as it is more profitable than to supply in Sikkim Milk Union”, says Bijay.

The 24-year-old spends most of his time in the cow shed along with two other employees. The cow shed is located around 8-km below at Rabong from their residence at Gelling. Recently, they have shifted the shed at Rabong due to the scarcity of water in Gelling, he informs.

This is not the end to Bijay’s success story. He is also undergoing three years diploma course in travel & trade management from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Moreover, this committed man wants to appraise the family’s success story to the people of other parts of the country by creating his own website which will contain his success story, photographs and articles on cows.

He also opined that the educated youths should not go for white colour jobs. “They can go for any kind of entrepreneur like piggery, poultry farm etc. other than dairy farming,” he says in smiles. Bijay is satisfied with his profession and says, “It is better to be self employed than visit offices in search of government job.”

source;sikkim express