Women's Cooperative in Tanahun Launches Weekly Market for Dairy Products

Tanahun. The Chakrawarti Social Entrepreneur Women's Cooperative in Devghat Rural Municipality-5 has begun hosting a weekly market to sell dairy products.

As the only women-led cooperative in the rural municipality, the organization has been conducting various programs to enhance the income and economic prosperity of its members. In line with this, a market is now held every Friday to promote and sell dairy items and agricultural produce created by its members. Cooperative Chairperson Sabitri Neupane stated that dairy products will be sold through this market.

Cooperative Manager Sangita Ojha Bhurtel announced that special discounts on dairy items will be offered on market days. According to her, the market features milk, yogurt, paneer, kulfi, ghee, buttermilk, lassi, paneer momos, paneer pakoras, ghee-fried selroti, dahi puri, and local organic agricultural produce.

Operated by the women of Devghat, the cooperative engages its members in income-generating activities such as savings and credit services, milk collection, dairy production, dairy operations, livestock farming, vegetable cultivation, and collective cash crop farming.

Currently, the cooperative collects over 600 liters of milk daily. The collected milk is processed in its own facility to create various products for sale. The cooperative currently has 819 shareholders, including women from wards 5, 4, and 1 of Devghat.

Most of the shareholders are involved in livestock farming. The cooperative purchases the milk produced by its members to manufacture and sell dairy products. Manager Ojha stated that products from the cooperative's own Chakrawarti Dairy Industry are sold through dairy shops in markets including Narayangadh, Bharatpur, Mugling, Hetauda, Kawasoti, and Gaindakot, as well as directly from the cooperative's building.

According to her, the dairy industry currently records a monthly turnover of one million rupees from dairy products. The Devghat Rural Municipality provides incentive payments for milk, while Heifer International Nepal has been assisting with the marketing of the produced goods.