There was a time, when people did not join animal husbandry due to the problem of cow dung. At the same time, some people used to keep milk cows with love and the cows that did not give milk, left them to roam the streets. But today the use of cow dung has increased so much that people have started rearing cows only for cow dung. After paper and wood made from cow dung, now eco-friendly paint made from cow dung is also selling quite a lot across the country.
It has been started by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India. Its main objective is to promote employment in rural areas, so that industries can be started from the resources available in the village. Natural paint made from cow dung is being sold through Khadi India.
For this you are given training by the government. At present, dung paint plants are being set up in many states including Bihar. Durga Priyadarshini, 33, who set up the first unit of cow dung paint in Odisha, started her business after taking training in making cow dung paint from Jaipur.
Along with this, she is also working to spread awareness among people about this eco-friendly paint.
How Durga started the Cow dung paint business?
Durga was a housewife till 2 years back. But she wanted to create her own identity and for this she was looking for the right opportunities and business ideas.
Durga says, “I was always interested in the dairy business. The quality with which cow’s milk is available in Haryana and Punjab was not found in Odisha. That’s why I first chose the work of dairy business and started learning animal husbandry by living in Jhajjar village of Jhajjar in Haryana. But during that time I saw a video on the internet where paint was being made from cow dung.
Durga liked this job so much that instead of animal husbandry, she decided to start painting.
Durga says that she also wanted to do social service through her work. If she had done milk business, she would have been able to serve only those cows which give milk. But through this business, she is helping farmers and gaushalas to become self-sufficient.
He attended a five-day training program in Jaipur in the year 2021, after which he started his plant Green Feel Paints in Odisha under Khadi India. In January 2022, he bought 2500 square feet of land in a village near Bargarh to build his factory, so that he could buy cow dung from the villagers. She has so far invested one crore including machines, land and marketing.
How is cow dung paint made?
To make this paint (cow dung paint), Durga takes dung from nearby farmers at a price of five rupees per kg and later the liquid and dry ingredients are separated from the dung.
To make the paint, firstly equal quantity of water is added to the cow dung, after which it is thickened by putting it in a triple disc refinery. Then the base of the paint is prepared by adding calcium component to it and emulsion and distemper is made from it. About 30 percent of this paint consists of cow dung. Then only natural colors are mixed with the base color, that is, this paint is completely organic.
He said that there are eight benefits of this paint, which include many benefits like antibacterial, anti fungal, odor free, non-toxic, free from heavy metal, natural thermal insulation.
It can be installed both indoors and outdoors. Natural paint gives the same look as normal chemical paint. They have claimed that it also works to balance the temperature of the house. Right now she is making more than 800 colors of paints.
Many steps taken for awareness among people
However, there is not much awareness among the people for organic paint (cow dung paint). Therefore, its demand is limited to a few sections only. Durga on her part has made several efforts to market natural paints. His plant is the only plant in Odisha, which is making paint from cow dung. She is also doing marketing work in some cities of Chhattisgarh including Odisha. They have also selected a few dealers in both the states. Along with this, she told that she talks about the benefits of this paint by attending colleges and seminars, so that awareness can come among the people.
Durga says, “Earlier we did not have any option, so we used to apply chemical paints in the house. But today paints made from cow dung are available in the market as a great alternative, then it must be used.”
So far, he has sold around 4000 liters of paint in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Currently she is making paints as ordered and in the coming days she is preparing to make natural wall putty. You can contact him on 7578014437 to buy natural paints. You can also place orders at [email protected].
Publish News Link – https://www.newsdayexpress.com/national/paint-made-from-cow-dung-is-an-alternative-to-lip-balm-a-housewife-from-odisha-started-business/
