Economic empowerment
Women have moved from subsistence farming to agri-entrepreneurship — dairy income averaging ₹34 per litre with weekly payments has improved the economic status and financial independence of women farmers and their families.
Dairy development programme (Karur Vysya Bank)
A CSR partnership with Karur Vysya Bank, originated under the State Balanced Growth Fund — building a women-led dairy producer company at Kadavur Block, Karur District, Tamil Nadu.
500
Women farmers enrolled in TDPCL
100
Joint Liability Groups formed
10
Milk collection centres established
1,800
Litres of milk collected daily, 2021–22
The project
Turning women dairy farmers into agri-entrepreneurs
Project mission
Supporting the economic empowerment of women farmers through collective action in dairy farming, by establishing a women-led Farmer Producer Company, creating milk collection infrastructure, and providing comprehensive training in dairy management, fodder cultivation, and para-veterinary services — transforming women from subsistence farmers into agri-entrepreneurs.
The programme originated under the State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF), a State Planning Commission programme addressing regional imbalances in per capita income, employment, poverty, health, education and gender issues. The Commission identified Coodu Trust as the coordinating agency for the “Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement through Scientific Management of Dairy Animals” project at Kadavur Block, Karur District — with Karur Vysya Bank layering CSR support, including a dedicated milk transport vehicle.
At its centre is the Tharagampatti Dairy Farmers Producer Company Limited (TDPCL): 500 women farmers enrolled as members and 100 Joint Liability Groups formed in the block. Ten milk collection centres were handling 1,800 litres a day in 2021–22 and 1,500 to 1,700 litres in 2023–24, marketed through Raj Dairy at ₹32 to ₹45 per litre based on SNF (Solids-Not-Fat) value, with weekly payments to every producer.
Training runs alongside the infrastructure: 260 women trained in dairy farming (2021–22), 100 women in fodder and Azolla cultivation and 20 youth through a 30-day para-veterinary programme with the Veterinary Department (2023–24), then 10 rural youth trained for a month in artificial insemination and 40 women taken on exposure visits to the TANUVAS institutes at Karur and Namakkal (2024–25).
- Women-led collectivisation
- Milk collection & marketing
- Fodder & Azolla cultivation
- Para-veterinary skilling
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Women selling milk alone, at the market’s mercy
Individual subsistence farmers have no collective bargaining power — leaving women vulnerable to market fluctuations, with no assured price or steady buyer for their milk.
Our response
A women-led producer company with assured marketing
TDPCL organises 500 women through 100 JLGs and 10 collection centres, marketing collectively via Raj Dairy at ₹32–45 per litre on SNF value — with weekly payments to every beneficiary.
The challenge
Animal care dependent on distant external services
When veterinary care sits outside the community, feeding practices, vaccination schedules and disease prevention are hard to sustain — and herd health and milk yield suffer.
Our response
Skills and para-vets inside the community
Training in livestock management, animal nutrition, vaccination schedules and disease prevention — plus a 30-day para-veterinary programme for 20 local youth with the Veterinary Department.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- KVB CSR partnershipOriginated under the State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF), State Planning Commission
- Period
- 2021–PresentFirst reported in 2021–22 and still running in 2024–25; the SBGF loan application for 500 subsidised milch animals is recorded as an application only
- Coverage
- Kadavur BlockKarur District, Tamil Nadu — FPC based at Tharagampatti
- Beneficiaries
- 500 women farmersPlus 260 trained in dairy farming, 100 in fodder and Azolla, 20 youth para-veterinary trainees and 10 trained in artificial insemination; 100 Joint Liability Groups
- Partners
- Raj Dairy (marketing)Technical support from the Veterinary Department, KVK & Agriculture Department
- Part of
- A decade of dairy work2,476 farm women trained in scientific cow rearing in 2013–14 across six districts, 539 dairy farmers under PMKVY in 2014–15 and 560 under NSDC in 2015–16
Outcomes
What the project changed
Improved dairy productivity
Training in fodder cultivation, Azolla farming and veterinary care has produced healthier cows and better milk yield — farmers reported a 15–20% increase in yield in 2024–25 after the Azolla and Super Napier fodder units were established, and a ₹1.70 crore loan enabled the purchase of 400 high-yield milch animals.
Community & market development
TDPCL’s collection centres and collective marketing via Raj Dairy give women farmers better prices and a steady market — a support network, wholly women-led, that makes them less vulnerable to market fluctuations.
Get involved
Support women-led dairy enterprise
Help us grow producer companies like TDPCL — where collective milk marketing, fair SNF-based prices and local para-veterinary skills turn women farmers into agri-entrepreneurs.