Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jul 23: In response to farmers in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district retreating from dairy farming due to lack of profitability, the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union will offer a subsidy of Rs 50 per quintal for animal feed starting August 1, announced union president Sucharitha Shetty.
Speaking at a press conference at the union's headquarters in Kulshekar, Shetty stated that, according to the union's board decision, the price of a 50 kg bag of animal feed is Rs 1350. The union will provide a subsidy of Rs 25 per bag, totalling Rs 50 per quintal, incurring a monthly expense of Rs 30 lac.
Due to drought and green fodder shortage, milk production had dropped to 3.15 lakh litres per day during January and February. To counter this, from March to June, the union provided 400 tons of subsidized animal feed per month, costing Rs 40 lac, which helped increase milk production to 3.86 lakh litres per day.
Shetty mentioned that interest in dairy farming is declining due to green fodder shortages and high feed costs. He suggested that an additional Rs 5 per litre for milk producers could help sustain the dairy system.
In districts like Mandya and Hassan, farmers who own four to five cows and produce silage on their land receive subsidies. The current market price of silage is Rs 10 per kg, while the union provides it at Rs 6.65 per kg. Additionally, a subsidy of Rs 10,000 per acre is given for growing green fodder in areca nut plantations.
The union, headquartered in Dakshina Kannada, processes 3.5 Rs litres of milk and has a 2.5 Rs litre capacity plant in Udupi's Uppoor. Currently, 359,588 litres of milk are stored daily. Due to increased demand for milk and milk products, over 1 Rs litres of milk are being sourced from other districts, Shetty stated.
Appeal for Dharmasthala Project
The union plans to request Dr Veerendra Heggade, the head of the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, to include Dakshina Kannada in their Rs 20 crore agriculture and dairy project.
Steps for Dairy System in Puttur
The union is acquiring 10 acres of government land and 4.5 acres of available land in Puttur for a total of 15 acres to support activities such as a mini dairy, warehouse, and green fodder cultivation. They have already inspected the animal husbandry department's land in Koila for green fodder cultivation. The land is part of social forestry, with 85% of it planted with acacia trees. The union requires 25 acres and needs approval from the forest department.
Currently, 40,000 cows are insured, with Rs 3.27 crore allocated for this. The district has 743 functioning milk producer societies, with 80% having their buildings. The rest need land provision from the district administration, Shetty emphasized.
Vice president S BJayaram Rai, directors Kapu Divakar Shetty, Narayan Prakash, Padmanabha, Sudhakar Rai, Sadashiva, Narasimha Kamath, Kamalaksha, Savitha N Shetty, Smitha Shetty, Subhadra Rao, managing director Vivek, and dairy marketing head Raviraj Udupa attended the conference.
Request to Limit Gauvardhan Scheme to Rs 50 lac
The union urged the central government to lower the Gauvardhan scheme investment limit to Rs 50 lac from Rs 2 crore, as few local farmers rear 200 cows. The union plans to submit this request through local MPs.
Last year, the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union had a turnover of Rs 1,108.089 crore and a net profit of Rs 8.29 crore, with 15% allocated to the administration and 85% to dairy farmers, Shetty concluded.