Shimla, September 20
From processing just 20 litres of milk a day to handling nearly 800 litres, Kavita Sharma of Thana village in Jangla area of Shimla district has turned a small rural initiative into a thriving dairy enterprise, creating a regular market for more than 100 women milk producers in the region.
Sharma, from Chauhara development block, started her milk-processing venture in October 2025 through the Nandla Self-Help Group (SHG). What began on a modest scale has now grown into an enterprise with an estimated annual turnover of around ₹70 lakh.
The unit currently produces a range of dairy products, including ghee, cheese, curd and butter. According to Sharma, demand for the products has been steadily increasing, with the current production capacity unable to meet the entire market demand.
SHG experience to entrepreneurship
Sharma joined a self-help group in 2020, which gave her an opportunity to participate in food-processing and entrepreneurship-related activities. She also set up food stalls at events such as the Saras Mela, Dilli Haat, the International Shimla Summer Festival and various local fairs.
These experiences helped her understand customer preferences, product quality, packaging, presentation and marketing. Direct interaction with consumers also gave her the confidence to turn her experience into a business venture.
Enterprise gets boost under PMFME
When Sharma started the dairy-processing unit in October 2025, the enterprise was processing only around 20 litres of milk a day. Limited financial resources, however, posed a challenge to expanding the business and installing modern equipment.
Government support proved crucial at this stage. Sharma received financial assistance of ₹7 lakh under the Prime Minister’s Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.
The assistance enabled her to install modern machinery, including a bulk milk cooler (BMC), batch pasteuriser, homogeniser, culture tank, hot room, cream separator, coagulation tank, filling machine, vacuum packaging machine, deep freezer and traditional churning equipment.
The new facilities helped improve the unit’s processing capacity, efficiency, product quality and packaging.
From 20 litres to 800 litres in 11 months
With improved infrastructure and technology, Sharma expanded the unit’s daily milk-processing capacity from around 20 litres in October 2025 to nearly 800 litres by September 2026.
The growth over roughly 11 months has transformed the venture into a significant rural livelihood initiative. The enterprise now has an estimated annual turnover of around ₹70 lakh.
Building a market, one shop at a time
Creating a market for the products was another major challenge. Sharma personally approached local shopkeepers and promoted her products from one shop to another.
Customer feedback was used to improve product quality, packaging and presentation. Her earlier experience of participating in fairs through the SHG also helped her understand market requirements and develop a customer base.
The products are now being supplied to markets in and around Rohru, Chidgaon and Jubbal.
More than 100 women get a regular market
One of the most significant impacts of the enterprise has been its support to local women dairy farmers.
More than 100 women from surrounding areas currently supply milk to the unit on a regular basis. Sharma’s enterprise purchases milk worth around ₹7 lakh every month, providing the women with a reliable local market and a regular source of income.
The initiative has also encouraged dairy farming and milk production among rural households in the area.
Two local women employed
The expansion of the unit has created direct employment for two local women. They are involved in the day-to-day operations of the enterprise and have gained a regular source of income.
Sharma, along with her husband, is also actively involved in managing the unit.
‘Government support helped me move forward’
Sharma said government initiatives aimed at promoting women’s empowerment and rural livelihoods had opened new opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
She said her participation in the SHG enabled her to showcase products at Dilli Haat, the International Shimla Summer Festival, the Saras Mela and other events, helping her understand marketing and consumer demand while increasing her income.
“I had always dreamed of starting my own enterprise. With the support of the state government, the State Rural Livelihood Mission and the PMFME scheme, I was able to establish my dairy-processing unit,” Sharma said.
She said the enterprise had grown from processing around 20 litres of milk a day to nearly 800 litres in about 11 months.
“There is strong demand for quality dairy products in the market, but our present capacity is not sufficient to meet the entire demand. We plan to increase the production capacity in the future,” she said.
Sharma expressed gratitude to the state government, the State Rural Livelihood Mission and the PMFME scheme for supporting the growth of her enterprise.
A model of rural women-led entrepreneurship
Sharma’s journey illustrates how self-help groups, government assistance, modern technology and sustained entrepreneurship can help transform a small rural initiative into a viable enterprise.
The venture has not only created a livelihood for Sharma and her family but has also established a regular market for more than 100 women milk producers and generated direct employment for two local women.
