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Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Nawanshahr, June 21
Born and brought up in New Delhi, a Punjabi couple, Manpreet Singh and Amanjot Kaur, both Biotechnology professionals, has set an example in entrepreneurship.
Manpreet Singh, BTech (Biotechnology) from Amity University, set up a dairy farm at Bannah village in SBS Nagar district six years ago. His wife, Amanjot, an MTech in Biotechnology, is also sharing the responsibility of the dairy farm.
The couple has shown the path to educated unemployed youth to adopt self-employment ventures. Sharing his experiences, the Biotech professional said after graduation, he was in a dilemma, whether to find a job or to start his own venture. He then preferred to start his own business.
“After I took the decision to start my own venture, I contacted my Chandigarh-based friend, who has been running a poultry farm. He advised me to undertake dairy farming instead of poultry farming,” said Manpreet. He added that he arranged a suitable land at Bannah village and the Dairy Development Department SBS Nagar was contacted. The officials of the Dairy Development Department helped him by imparting a 15-day training at Chatamli.
“Then I started a dairy farm with 20 cattle, which now has attained the strength of 100,” said Manpreet, adding that he had been selling milk to Verka Milk Plant as well.
He has been using automatic system for milking cattle as well as chilling the milk. His dairy farm is equipped with a machine to milk as many as 12 cattle in one go and a bulk milk cooler having a capacity of 2,000 litres.
Dairy Development Officer, Nawanshahr, Davinder Singh said the state government had been encouraging dairy farming. “With a view to mobilising farmers, especially youth to adopt dairy farming, the department had been providing NABARD-sponsored subsidy and loan facilities at a cheaper rate of interest,” he said.
He said a loan, amounting to Rs 1.20 lakh to 10 lakh, was available for starting dairy farming from two to 10 cattle along with a subsidy of 33 per cent for the SC category and 25 per cent for other entrepreneurs. Besides, the subsidy for single row fodder cutter and bulk milk cooler is available on same pattern, he added.
Harvinder Singh, Dairy Development Inspector, said the persons desirous of adopting dairy farming could contact Veterinary Poly Clinic, Banga Road, Nawanshahr.
The department would provide all requisite help from training to loan facility for setting up dairy farm unit.