Kathmandu. In the wee hours of the morning, the hustle and bustle of Devendra Parajuli’s cowshed at Barrachaur of Bihadi Rural Municipality-2 begins. By the time the work of feeding the buffalo and milking is over, his day is long gone. This cowshed has now become the main source of his income. He has been earning around Rs one lakh a month by rearing buffaloes of improved breed.

At a time when thousands of Nepali youths are going abroad in search of employment, 40-year-old Parajuli has set an example of earning a respectable income from agriculture and animal husbandry. His business, which started with two or three buffaloes of local breeds, has now expanded to 10 buffaloes, including five Murra breed buffaloes and other local breeds.

He produces 80 to 100 liters of milk a day and supplies it to local markets as well as to Huwas, Purtighat of Gulmi and Waling of Syangja. According to him, there is no shortage of market as the demand for buffalo milk is high. “The problem is not the market, but the production,” he says, “Even if we can produce more milk, we are not worried about sales.” Currently, milk is being sold at Rs 100 per litre from the household. ‘

He is preparing to expand the ‘Parajuli Agriculture and Livestock Farm’ established four years ago with an investment of around Rs 30 lakh. He plans to buy more advanced breed buffaloes from next year and raise at least 20 Murra buffaloes.

Parajuli, who has studied Veterinary JTA, chose animal husbandry to apply his knowledge in his village. His wife Amrita Devi Sharma Parajuli, parents and other family members are also actively supporting him in his business. He is busy in the cowshed from morning till night and says that he does not have to go abroad to work hard.

Along with buffalo rearing, he has also been involved in commercial vegetable, maize and paddy farming. He cultivates more than 28 ropanis of land and grows tomatoes and other vegetables according to the season. According to him, it has been easier to transport the produce to the market as the farm is located near the Kaligandaki corridor.

The National Agriculture Modernization Programme, Programme Implementation Unit, Baglung has provided a grant of Rs four lakh in the current fiscal year to expand his business. The modern cowshed was constructed with the assistance provided by 50-50 partnership between the entrepreneurs and the office under the Agriculture and Livestock Entrepreneurship Program.

Arjun Prakash Subedi, chief of Program Implementation Unit, Baglung, said that the assistance was provided to encourage youths who have returned from foreign employment or are involved in agriculture enterprises. He believes that such programs will help expand entrepreneurship in rural areas and inspire youths to explore opportunities within the country.

In Parajuli’s experience, one can be successful if the money and labor spent on going abroad can be invested in one’s own village. “It is better to work one’s own soil than to sweat in the scorching sun of foreign lands,” he says, “Sorrow is here too, but the consequences are received by one’s own family and village.” That’s the biggest satisfaction. ‘