Rural Innovations: A Shining example
JS Milker is an example of how mechanisation can change lives for the better.
It removed the tedium of manual milking as well as fetched Palanivel
family more income while helping maintain the quality of milk.
INDIA is the worlds largest producer of milk, with 70 million dairy farmers producing nearly 85 million tonnes of milk each year. Many are typically landless. For such families, a couple of milch animals are the biggest asset. At the same time, this group also has dairy farmers who have land, like A K Palanivel. Palanivel’s residence in Athanur village in Tamil Nadus Namakkal district offers a beautiful view of the verdant hills that surround it. At first sight, it seems quite refreshing and idyllic. Probe and you will discover that livelihoods in Athanur have not remained as pretty as their natural settings. Focus on dairying Palanivel has 10 acres of good land. But over time, the decline in the availability of water has changed the cultivation pattern. Five years ago, the declining water table forced Palanivel to switch to poultry. He set up a farm with 10,000 birds. In 3 years, the water situation further forced him to give up poultry farming too. Then, Palanivel switched his focus to dairying. Starting with 3 animals, Palanivel and his wife Amutha found it worthwhile to increase the number to 10.
However, even as they were doing this, Amutha Palanivel started facing the downside
of dairying. Milking is quite a tedious and time-consuming task. It takes 15 minutes of labour to milk a local breed. Amutha started experiencing health problems. When she milked the cows, she experienced headaches and pain. They could not look at a conventional power-driven milker because the cost was far too high and was justified only when one had 20 to 25 cows or more. The situation became so grave that the couple started to look seriously at the option of selling off the cows. But, dairying had become their bread and butter. The couple had 2 sons to educate. In the middle of this difficult situation, Palanivel chanced upon the JS Milker. In 2003, he visited Agri Intex organized by CODISSIA in Coimbatore. There, he saw a machine that was almost too good to be true. At a price of Rs. 7500/-, the JS Milker seemed to be just what Palanivel was in dire need of immediately, he paid the advance amount of Rs. 500/- and booked a machine.
In a week’s time, the company’s representatives landed at their doorstep with a JS Milker. The team provided the couple training on how to use it. Initially, the couple was happy with the Milker. It had relieved them of the tediousness in milking.Easy to use, the Milker had given them new hope. They even recommended it to many others. Nearly 20 JS Milkers were acquired by others. With time, they got used to the Milker, though they noticed aspects that were less satisfying and even frustrating. The Milker had a central valve to be released after securing all the nipples on the udders. This turned out to be a new problem. Even as one was put in position and the others were being fixed, one of themwould come loose and then they would have to start it all over again. They referred this to the company and the problem was rectified. Yet, while the Milker was a good-looking machine, the couple gave priority to sturdiness. They felt the parts should not be so fragile that you have to replace them often.
Big leap
All the same, after getting accustomed to the Milker, Palanivel made a big leap. He modified it making it power driven (with a 0.5 HP motor) ! Thus, there was no need for pumping the lever by hand and building up the required pressure ! Consequently, a good quality can, nipples and the electric assembly cost just Rs. 10,000/-. And, the benefits remained. The Milker continued to be easy to use. Nearly two-thirds of their time is saved. The milk is hygienic. And, they get a better price for their produce. Yes, Palanivel records happily that, ever since they started using the Milker, they have been getting 10-15 paise more per litre of milk from the milk society. 40 litres of milk a day makes it 4 rupees of additional income every day. Isnt that more than welcome ?