Rebuilding Livelihoods post-relocation- A success story
Siyabai, 32 years old negotiates price on her poultry products with the customer when drastic price downin the market arises due to Covid outrage and lockdown.
Confidence along skill of negotiating to get better pricing on a productdoes not come in one night. It is art and science too. When one gets into understanding the market well, gain systematic knowledge to intricate in caring and nurturing the product byown, skilled training and experiences. All these makes one a fair market player. However, in case of a functionally literate tribal woman, it was unbelievable.
This poultry business is lucrative when the person herself/himself is involved whole-heartedly in routine operations, which Siyabai has proved.
It was never easy for Siyabai to leave the land where she had spent her half of the life; she had heard her ancestor saying that forest is our home and we are born to live in the forest. "However, with each passing day, it became difficult for us to survive only depending on the forest. In 2014-15, we came out from forest and government made arrangements of our settlement although post-relocation story agonized. Not getting regular income made our lives more disastrous'' - says Siyabai
"I met the IGS team in one of our village meetings where they discussed how people like us could be into small enterprises and earn regularly, related government welfare schemes etc. I showed interest in poultry farming though I had a meagre knowledge that I intended to commence a full-fledged business. Based on my interest, with their help, I got an exposure to a nearby poultry farm in Matkuli village to learn more on poultry farming. IGS again helped me to put a proposal of asking for grant in our village development committee meeting for my poultry trade. However, before endorsing my proposal, our village development committeeintended to screen my eligibility. They asked me a few questions on poultry trade. One of the questions was 'how to protect chicks from diseases'? I answered thatthrough vaccination in every 3 months interval. They got pleased my answers and so, declared me eligible for getting help from the village committee. However, they decided to support in shed construction instead. I got all essential items such as 25-meter ft.net, 20ft pipe 10'x4 two tin sheet also got trained on shed making.
I started with 2 Pullet and 1 Cockerel, and gradually the number grew up. I started in January 2019, in February, I sold out one hen and got 600 rupees, and at the same time, I had 7 chicks in that month. In April & May, I earned 1300 rupees, then 1600 rupees, 11 more chicks and in this way,my business intensified.I earned around 7000 rupees in a year where my input investment was 1500 rupees only. My business is on a rising trend diffusing to adjacent villages too. I am more than happy now and grateful to the IGS team for their consistent support to people like us. Isend my kids to school, doing some agro-work to fetch additional income in my free time. Now I know better how to catch substitute income source that I learnt from being part of series of events, activities conducted by IGS team.'' - says Siyabai, NayaBirjikhapa village
The project had facilitated poultry shed training to 211 beneficiaries out of which more than 60% now managing their own poultry trade successfully