MAJOR STRATEGIES FOR INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY ON DAIRY INDIA

Investment opportunity on Dairy India

The NABARD Dairy sector study has also indicated the following major action points for improvement of Dairy Sector.

Major strategies

  Breeding and productive capacity of animals:

·        Improving overall efficiency of Bull breeding farms, semen stations, A.I. service including delivery of semen and liquid nitrogen.

·        Extension education of farmers

·        Improving natural breeding service for buffaloes

·        Selecting better quality breeding bulls for distribution in the field

·        Introducing a bull calf rearing scheme by providing incentives to a farmer to purchase and rear a bull calf produced by a high milk yielding dam owned by from an identified breeder farmer .

·        Testing of breeding bulls for possibility of their being carriers of communicable reproductive diseases.

·        Choosing NGOs, progressive farmers as future trainers and training them for modern management practices for rearing of dairy animals

·        Using paravets or educated unemployed local village youth for A.I. service and veterinary first aid.

·        Encouraging the farmers to keep proper breeding records

Fodder and Feeding:

·         Taking the help of local teaching and research institute to identify suitable fodders, feeding schedules, feeding norms using locally available feed resources and using this information for extensive education of farmer producers

·         Utilizing progressive farmers, NGOs as demonstration farms/points to train the local farmers in producing good quality fodder or utilizing the available feed and fodder resources including the knowledge of enriching the poor quality fodder.

·         Taking the help of local teaching and research institute to identify suitable fodder trees that can be locally grown on the funds of farms by the dairy farmers

·         Training farmers to conserve the locally available surplus natural grasses. Take catch crops/ relay crops etc during the fallow season immediately after the harvest of main cereal crop. Identifying suitable farming systems for the purpose for the local area.

·         Training the farmers to conserve and make maximum use of the available cattle dung and urine produced at the farm for utilization as organic manure .

·         Establishment of fodder banks at strategic locations for providing fodder during emergencies and periods of fodder scarcity.

·         Training farmers to use locally available feed ingredients to manufacture their own cattle concentrate feed rather than depending upon the costly compounded feeds sold at high costs.

·         Establishing feed analytical laboratory or strengthening it , if such service is not available in the private sector in state .

Dairy Cattle health:

·         Improving the state veterinary services particularly with respect to adequate vaccination cover and disease diagnostic services

·         Since there is a problem of mobility of the staff due to limited budget, encourage service of paravets and self-employed veterinary practice

·         Encourage the farmers to use scientific principles of animal management, cleanliness and hygiene on dairy farms

·         Train the farmers to use cleanliness and hygiene in management of young calves so that their mortality is kept very low.

·         Introduce disease surveillance mechanism in the state and use the available audiovisual media like radio and Television to inform the farmers well in advance to take precautions of vaccinations etc. so as to prevent disease occurrence and minimize the risks

·         Introduce livestock health insurance schemes for dairy animals.

Milk marketing:

·         Improve the working efficiency, of village level dairy cooperatives and milk unions with a view to improve their sustainability and financial viability.

·         Provide parity between the price of cow milk and buffaloe milk purchased from the farmers

·         Encourage local sale of liquid milk, find nearby markets instead sending all the surplus milk to distant places .

·         Encourage farmers / societies for taking up schemes for converting the surplus milk into quality milk products.

Bank Credit:

·         Banks should ensure that all backward and forward linkages are available and prepare a scheme in a compact manner so that inputs and services including marketing of milk are available.

·         The methods of appraisal, sanction and disbursements of dairy loans needs to be improved, particularly by the cooperative Banks.

·         The field monitoring of ongoing schemes should be improved.

·         Banks should diversify and provide loans for all activities of dairy industry particularly for breeding of animals and processing and marketing of milk and milk products. NABARD should prepare guidelines and model schemes for these activities.

·         Many commercial banks are not taking refinance from NABARD. They should be motivated to do so.

·         A biannual meeting between NABARD, banks, state/central Governments, cooperatives and private sector should be held by NABARD for better coordination and implementation of schemes.