Through the sale of buffalo milk the Van Gujjars make a vital contribution to the economy, as the community is one of the main dairy producers in the region.  Prior to the 1950s the Van Gujjars bartered their milk for material goods.  Subsequently they were drawn into the monetary market where they were highly exploited by middlemen.  Middlemen would buy their milk for pittance and offer high interest loans, which pushed the people into poverty.

SOPHIA’s Milk Marketing project was formed in response to the exploitation of the Van Gujjars by middlemen.  The aims of the project are:

The Van Gujjars bring their milk to SOPHIA at a collection point in Uttar Pradesh from where the milk is subsequently distributed to consumers in Dehradun.  Over the decades milk consumers have been concerned about the quality of the milk available on the market due to the use of hormones in farming.  The Van Gujjars’ milk offers an antidote to these fears, as it is both organic and derived from forest fodder, thus offering a unique, rich flavour.

Impact

The greatest success of SOPHIA’s Milk Marketing project is that the Van Gujjars generally receive fair and profitable rates for their milk throughout the market.  The programme has been able to pressurise the middlemen to increase their rates for fear that they would loose their Van Gujjar suppliers.  In the mid 1990s, prior to the milk-marketing project, the Van Gujjars were being offered 6.25 INR/litre for their milk.  The Van Gujjars now receive approximately 35 INR/ litre, depending upon the milk’s fat content.  Many families appreciate the extra income and are now able to buy extra goods for themselves and supplementary feeds and medicine for their buffalo.  Furthermore, the Milk Marketing project does not require external funding, rendering it as completely sustainable. Due to it's great success, primary management of the Milk-Marketing Program has been transferred to the Van Gujjar community as of April 2015.