Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, Nov 13, 2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
Home Page
-
Animals & Livestock Agri-Biz & Commodities - Dairy & Dairy Products Higher milk yields: Gujarat villagers show the way Gaurav Raghuvanshi
Commodes put to a different use; a cow quenches its thirst here.
Ahmedabad , Nov. 12 A COW lounging on a waterbed produces 28 per cent more milk than its brethren that stand on hard ground all day long. While waterbeds are still beyond the reach of most Indians, leave alone cattle, farmers in Gujarat have found innovative ways to increase output and keep the State ahead in milk production. Vishnubhai Chaudhury, a resident of Balwa village near Gandhinagar, has put the western closet (WC) commode to a rather unusual use. No, his cattle are not toilet trained. Each of Vishnubhai's 20 animals has its personal commode from which it can drink water. While water is flushed into a WC for cleaning purpose, he has employed the same principle in reverse. As soon as the cow takes a gulp of water from the contraption, reverse flow causes the same amount of water to flow into the commode enabling the cow to drink water whenever required. All the commodes are connected to a fresh water tank. A ball-cock mechanism maintains the required water level in each `water hole'. An expert from the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, the owners of the `Amul' brand, says that a cow that gets an adequate quantity of fresh, clean water produces 2 per cent more milk. "An animal draws 8-10 litres of water in a minute when it drinks. If adequate water is not available, the cow may not come back to the water hole and its productivity may decline," the expert told Business Line. Proper feed: The Ahmedabad District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union, on its part, has embarked on a major training programme on the importance of proper feed and hygienic milk production. "We are organising regular seminars for villagers to educate them about hygienic milk production. "If milk is not clean, the energy requirement for pasteurisation goes up, besides posing a health hazard if milk is procured from an unreliable source," says Mr Mohanbhai R. Bharwad, the Chairman of the Ahmedabad Milk Co-operative. The co-operative is also encouraging farmers to improve the livestock through artificial insemination and ensure proper cattle feed for their animals. "Better cattle feed is necessary for the animals to get a balanced diet. Instead of letting them munch whatever they can find, we are encouraging our members to switch to feed and have set up a 100 tonne per day plant. "In addition, we are trying to convince them about the advantages of artificial insemination and training them the technique," Mr Bharwad said. The efforts, Mr Bharwad says, are expected to improve milk yields even as the cattle wait for the day when, instead of the tethering pole, they will have their own waterbeds.
More Stories on : Animals & Livestock | Dairy & Dairy Products
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2004, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|