Gujarat man sets up donkey farm, sells milk online at Rs 5,000 a litre
Dhiren Solanki, a man in India's Gujarat, has set up a donkey farm with 42 donkeys at his village in Patan district and is earning Rs 2-3 lakh a month by supplying donkey milk to clients in southern states.
The milk is selling at 70 times the price of milk produced by its bovine rivals, reports NDTV.
On how his journey began, Solanki said he had been looking for a government job.
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"I found some private jobs, but the pay would barely cover my family expenses. Around this time, I came to know about donkey rearing in south India. I met some people and set up this farm in my village about eight months back," he said, adding that he started with 20 donkeys and an investment of Rs 22 lakh.
The beginning was tough. There is hardly any demand for donkey milk in Gujarat, and Solanki earned nothing in the first five months.
Solanki then started reaching out to companies in south India, where there is a demand for donkey milk. He now supplies to Karnataka and Kerala, and among his clients are cosmetic companies that use donkey milk in their products.
Asked about the rate, Solanki says it ranges between Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 -- compare this to cow milk sold at Rs 65 a litre in India.
The milk is stored in freezers to ensure it stays fresh. The milk is dried and sold in powdered form too, with prices going up to about a lakh for kg.
Solanki now has 42 donkeys in his farm and has invested about 38 lakh rupees so far. He says he has not taken any help from the state government so far, but wants it to focus on this sector too.
