Mehulbhai Sutaria founded 'Hariba Dairy Farm' in the year 2018. The Government of Gujarat awarded him the Best Animal Husbandry award at the Taluka level this year. His farm contains 72 cattle and generates about 600-700 kg of milk every month.
"We did not start this for any commercial motive," said Mehulbhai, 32, but it was my father's wish after retirement. Furthermore, our scriptures states that if you can breed cows, you must begin. You can start with one cow if you wish to grow 10. We began dairy farming in our village based on this concept.”
"Before establishing the dairy farm, I went to the Nesda-Gir area and picked up some Gir cows," he adds. I talked to a lot of experts and done a lot of study on how to grow cows naturally. This procedure took around a year to complete. Then, in 2018, I launched my dairy farm in earnest."
How To Look After Cattles:
Instead of a cement floor, Mehulbhai's cows are kept on a clay floor with a stone-like structure. Instead of utilising a machine, several locals have been hired to extract the milk.
He said that in the Gaushala, soil is replenished three times a year, and 30 bighas of land is grown for organic fodder for the cows. He claims that the cows' calves are fed before milking.
What products does 'Hariba Dairy Farm' generate?
"Initially, we had no intention of making any other product for the sake of selling," Mehulbhai said when asked what products are created on his farm. However, we eventually started making ghee.
Then a close friend asked for sweets and ghee in order to provide Diwali presents to his colleagues at work. Dates and pistachios were used to make desserts. Then, over time, Adia Pak began to make and market sweets like Mohanthal."
"Earlier, we used to use products from other companies," says Ramesh Savani, his customer regarding the products, but when we tasted Hariba products for the first time, we really loved it. There is no comparison in terms of flavour or quality. I visited his farm and observed how the cows are looked after. Their cows are in excellent condition. This is why their milk products are so good."
"I love Hariba's ghee," adds Khyati Trivedi, another customer. They not only supply consumers with the highest quality products, but they also always deliver on time."
A role model for others
Mehulbhai claims to own a textile business in Surat. His company also operates in Singapore and Canada. His primary business is textiles, thus he is unconcerned about the economic benefits of dairy farming.
Mehulbhai wishes to showcase this type of dairy farming to the local farmers in order to improve their standard of living. They've also launched a website to make things easier for them.
Electricity Problem
Despite the fact that Mehulbhai's dairy farm is only 300 metres away from the village, he has yet to receive the benefit of electricity under the Gram Jyoti Yojana.
They are now reliant on separate agricultural electricity, which is only accessible for a few hours each day. When the storm hit, the villages get electricity right away, but the fields didn't get electricity for another 45 days. As a result, he had to deal with a lot of obstacles.
Dairy Farm Provides Water To 80% Of The Village's Households
Mehulbhai claims that his village has a serious water crisis. I built a borewell to acquire cultivable water when I first started dairy farming. When the farmers learned about it, they began to flock to the area in search of water.
Seeing the farmers' demands, Mehulbhai built a tank with a capacity of 25000 litres on his own expense and hooked it to the farm's tap. People could now easily carry water.
Traditional Way of Making Ghee
At Hariba Dairy Farm, ghee is prepared in a conventional way. This is accomplished by removing the butter without first heating the milk. After that, it's placed in a steel vessel. The pot's lower portion is made of copper. Ghee is created by heating dung or wood firewood over a low flame again.
Wants to Establish a Livestock Farmer Cooperative Model
"I want to do something concrete for the farmers and cattle ranchers," Mehulbhai says in the end. To increase their income, I wish to create a cooperative model similar to the Amul firm with the support of my friends. It will begin as soon as possible."
Ghee produced on his farm costs between Rs.500 to 1800 per kg, Adia Pak costs Rs.700 per kg, and dry fruit punch costs Rs1000 per kg. Visit their website if you want to learn more about their products or make a purchase.
