Cow Urine Turns Into A Business Opportunity In Uttar Pradesh, Costs ₹10 A Litre

Lucknow: Cow urine, often regarded as a byproduct of cattle farming, is being transformed into a potential source of rural income in Uttar Pradesh through a pilot project in Bulandshahr. The initiative, executed via a farmer producer organization (FPO), links cow protection with rural employment, women's incomes, and natural farming.

If successful, this model could be replicated across the state. Currently operational in 15 villages of Bulandshahr's Siyana area, the project collects about 500 litres of cow urine daily from village-level collection centres. Organisers plan to raise the procurement price to Rs 20 per litre as the network grows. Led by Dr Praveen, the project installs 200-litre tanks at collection points, enabling cattle owners to sell urine within their villages instead of transporting it.

The urine is mixed with herbs to create products for farming, which are supplied through local committees, forming a value chain from cattle sheds to fields. Women form a significant part of the initiative, with 300 women as shareholders who collect urine and earn Rs 2 per litre as commission. For cattle-owning households, this provides an alternative income beyond milk.

The project's aim is to make cow protection economically viable by monetizing another cattle product, potentially making the rearing of cattle more profitable. Uttar Pradesh Cow Service Commission chairman, Shyam Bihari Gupta, believes the Bulandshahr experiment could become a model integrating cow protection, rural employment, women's empowerment, and natural farming.

The commercial success of this model hinges on establishing a sustainable market for cow urine-based products and maintaining a profitable collection and processing network beyond the pilot villages.