Source:iamin.in
It won’t be difficult to recall the last time you lost cool over your milkman for diluting milk with water.
In most Indian households, raw milk is preferred over packaged milk yet the consumers always remain concerned about the adulteration in the dairy products. A Sonepat-based startup, however, has come up with a unique solution to address this concern by eliminating human intervention in process of milk production.
The idea that changed many lives
The urge to give it back to the society and a trip to Uttarakhand in the year 2009 paved the path for three techies to plunge into a venture that would eventually give them the title of social entrepreneurs. Seeking guidance from a New Zealand national further cleared their vision to set foot in the dairy farm industry.
Founded by four people trying to bring a revolution in the dairy industry– Deepak Raj (34), Pankaj Nivani (39) and Sukhwinder (34) and Earl (58) – Binsar Farms in Kundli area of Sonipat district is presently supplying milk to over 800 families in Delhi-NCR. Within three years of having started its operations, the venture has already reached a Break Even Point.
Confiding why the venture was named after Binsar area of Uttarakhand, Vice President Deepak, who is one of four founding members, shares an interesting story of getting inspired by organic farmers of Binsar.
“During our trip to the area in the year 2009, Pankaj, Deepak and I observed how farmers grow organic pulses. Jaded by our corporate jobs, we also wanted to do something to contribute to the society. We planned, researched, and eventually executed our dream,” he shares.
In 2012, the idea was put into implementation. Taking cues from pioneers in the industry including one of the largest milk producers across globe, Fonterra, the founders took a year for buying young cows from different parts of country, especially Punjab. “We started this dairy by supplying milk to just one household in TDI City Kundli,” Deepak shares with a smile.
Trying to imbibe best practices followed by traditional milkmen and modern dairy farms
Spread across a sprawling area of 10 acres, every process ranging from milking the cows till filling of glass bottles is executed at Binsar with the help of technological means to avoid any sort of adulteration.
“The government norms permit bacteria in milk upto 3 lac per cubic centimeter, but in our milk, the bacteria level is only around 70-80 thousand per centimeter which makes the milk extremely safe and healthy to drink,” points out Deepak.
Faith on conventional dairy farming practices among the consumers has discouraged the usage of coming-of-age technologies such as milking machines, high quality semen, artificial insemination even after four decades of Operation Flood in the country. However, Binsar Farms is trying to imbibe best practices followed by traditional milkmen and modern dairy farms.
“It goes without saying that the failure to leverage the power of technology and apprehensions among the consumers have resulted in the failure of many budding dairy farm ventures. Yet, at Binsar, we are trying to bridge the gap,” stresses Deepak.
By ensuring that all the steps of milk production are executed under one roof, the founders of Binsar Farms are also trying to maintain transparency. They are also trying to reach out to farmers and getting them acquainted with innovative techniques being followed in the dairy industry.
“We believe in extending help to nearby villagers so that they can get to know about to new technologies which have revolutionised the dairy farming. We give high quality semen at the price we procure it so that a new breed of high milk yielding cattle can be formed in the area. Our in-house doctors regularly visit the surrounding areas to educate people about the diseases cattle usually get infected with.
Binsar Farms procures high quality semen to fertilize the cows with the help of artificial insemination. Average quantity of milk obtained from a single cow at Binsar is around 16 litres a day; but they have cows which give milk upto 46 litres a day.
Apart from the machinery, this startup has even adopted scientific methods even for feeding the cows. “We feed cows with balanced diet minus any sort of antibiotic and hormones. Our cows are also subjected to regular check-ups by a dedicated team of veterinary doctors,” explains Deepak.
Putting the entire approach in perspective, Deepak sums up, “Basically, we want a form a pool of dedicated dairy farmers who can promote the cause of providing unadulterated milk to the people.”
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