During the pandemic, these milk chillers have provided farmers with a reliable source of income, despite supply chain disruption from Covid-19. The battery saves farmers money by removing the cost of diesel generators and avoiding product losses. On top of this, it can also connect small scale, rural farmers with larger milk cooperatives, further improving overall profits.
Jiten Ghelani, CEO of Promethean Power, said: “By enabling access to village level refrigeration for small scale dairy farmers in remote parts of India, we can improve livelihoods and resilience for millions of marginalised dairy farmers.”
Aside from this sustainable and resilient supply chain, the project has uncovered the potential for localised solutions. When Covid-19 hit, farmers began selling more milk locally, which built stronger local supply chains. Farmers who may have been previously out of work now have a reliable income source, despite the global pandemic.