After over a year of dull business due to the pandemic, the dairy cooperative of Langchenphu Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar is back in business with a new product. The group instead of selling fresh milk is now producing yoghurt.
Before the border gates were closed in March last year due to the pandemic, the group used to sell milk to the neighbouring Indian market.
The district livestock sector has supported the cooperative with yoghurt making machine and has trained some of the members on yoghurt production.
The members found selling yoghurt more profitable.
Hari Maya, one of the members of the cooperative said, “We were trained by livestock officials to make yoghurts. It hasn’t been one month also and we have not sold much. However, I am confident that we will be able to earn a good income from yoghurt.”
“It is profitable to make yoghurt. For a litre of milk, we used to earn Nu 50 but while making yoghurt, we could earn Nu 120 to 130. Before we used to sell milk across the border and they sold them back in the form of yoghurt. They kept money themselves,” said Tilachan Powdyel, a farmer in Langchenphu.
According to the members, yoghurt has longer shelf life making it possible for the group to extensively distribute the product and also have less wastage.
They sell a cup of yoghurt at Nu 15.
Cheki Dorji, a livestock extension officer said the office is encouraging villagers to produce value-added livestock products since it is more profitable.
He said, “although there is less population here we are not worried about the market for yoghurt. We have a central school here and they will place an order in huge quantities. Otherwise, we can plan to sell the product across the border by following COVID-19 safety protocol.”
The Langchenphu dairy cooperative has 60 members contributing more than 100 litres of milk every day. The group also produces butter and cheese.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
