The Hindu Business Line : ‘Friends of milk’ show the way in fighting farm distress

A small experiment carried out by some women self-help groups and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in two mandals (each mandal comprises a group of villages) of Chittoor district could well show the way to farmers in distress districts in fighting drought.

The two Bulk Milk Cooling Units (BMCUs) have been set up and run by mahila samakhyas (women self-help groups) with assistance from the district authorities. Using the infrastructure, the palamitras (or friends of milk) of SHGs started procuring milk from the individual households, chilled the same to four degrees Centigrade and sold to Balaji Dairy, set up by the NDDB.

An in-depth study conducted by the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) on “Improvement in rural livelihoods through dairy farming” threw light on the dynamics of rural economies in Prakasam and Chittoor districts.

The study, proposed by the Federation of Farmers’ Association (FFA), stated that the move by NDDB and SHGs broke the back of middlemen and the syndicate formed by the private dairies, who made dairying an unviable option.

This public-private partnership linked institutions of the poor (SHGs) with institutions of the market with the help of technology. “It not only helped the rural households get better prices and offer financial cushion, but also resulted in economic gains to the SHG members,” it said.

The study called for replication of the model on a wider scale throughout the country. “These remarkable gains, if spread properly would go a long way in eliminating rural poverty, empowering women and sustaining the livelihoods of the resource poor dairy farmers,” it said.

Commenting on the study, Mr P. Chengal Reddy, Secretary General of Consortium of Indian Farmers’ Association (CIFA), said the systematic development of dairy would solve many problems. “There will be no suicides and migration. Besides, it will help the rural communities to spend the additional income on their children’s education,” he said.

Besides, the Government should also focus on encouraging rearing of sheep, goats and pigs. “This will significantly change the rural economies,” he added.

He, however, felt that there should be emphasis on the supporting infrastructure such as fodder banks.

More Stories on : Dairy & Dairy Products | Gender | Farm credit

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