A Kerala Couple Built a Dairy Farm and Expanded Cardamom Cultivation

Eby K Eldo had worked in several occupations, including driving, tile laying and painting, but he struggled to secure both dependable income and satisfaction from his work. At the same time, his two-acre agricultural holding in Ozhuwathadam, Kerala, was not being used fully.

Eby and his wife, Sabitha, began dairy farming about a year before the article was published. They started with one cow. After seeing what they described as promising early returns, they increased the number of animals in the unit.

A growing dairy operation

The farm now has five cows and heifers. It supplies over 20 litres of milk each day to the Ozhuwathadam branch of the Irumbupalam Milk Producers Cooperative Society.

The cooperative has continued to support the couple as the dairy expanded. The milk collection arrangement gives the farm an established outlet for its daily production, while the operation remains based on the couple’s agricultural land in Ozhuwathadam.

Compost supports cardamom cultivation

The dairy also changed how Eby and Sabitha managed their crops. They replaced chemical fertilisers with compost made from cow dung on the farm. The couple used the material to improve the condition of their soil while combining livestock production with crop cultivation.

They have earned ₹1 lakh this year from 35 cardamom plants. The reported income came from a relatively small number of plants, alongside the dairy activity that supplies milk to the cooperative society.

Eby and Sabitha are expanding their cardamom cultivation and growing other crops as well. The combined dairy and organic farming enterprise has provided a stable livelihood and allowed them to support the education of their three children, Aldona, Anaida and Andrea.