Step towards Cooperative Venture

Rosary’s family was borrowing money from moneylenders to lease palm trees to make palm jaggery for their livelihood.

The income was very less as most of the amount was spent in settling the lease money to the landlords or moneylenders.

Sivagangai Social Service Society with the support of Caritas India extended financial assistance to Rosary that enabled her to lease the palm trees and prepare palm cakes. As a result, she was able to sell the product directly at the shops and earn good profit.

Palm Jaggery is the only business for the people of Sayalkudi village of Ramnad district of Tamil Nadu as palm and acacia trees are the only beneficial trees available in the block. Villagers used to borrow money from the moneylenders for leasing palm trees from the landlord.

The financial need of the family was difficult to meet as they had to sell palm jaggery to the same moneylenders at a lesser price.

Programme ‘Promotion of Palm cake producer’s cooperative for sustainable livelihood’ tried to address the issue by training sayalkudi women on quality palm jaggeries production and by-production from palm juice, entrepreneurial skill development, team cooperating and cooperative system and marketing. It also extended financial support to the selected women for cooperative venture to free them from the clutches of moneylenders and middlemen.

Today, Rosary and many others are earning Rs.300/- per day by selling their palm jaggeries and supporting their family needs.