Kerala government has begun initiatives to make available ample quantities of cattle feed for dairy farmers at affordable prices as part of its efforts to reduce the input cost in the dairy sector.

Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J Chinchurani said the government is giving top priority to ensure remunerative price to milk producers and ease the burden from frequent increase in cattle feed price in coordination with Milma and other dairy sector agencies.

Unavailability of ingredients to make cattle feed is a big problem faced by the State. This results in high prices of cattle feed. The government is working on plans to address this issue. These include cultivation of feeding grass. Milk cooperative societies will be encouraged to take up grass cultivation on lands available in their respective localities, she added.

The Minister was speaking while inaugurating the distribution of financial assistance announced by Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU) for dairy farmers and milk cooperative societies in flood-ravaged areas, at a function at Vallikunnam in Alappuzha.

Noting that Kerala is not only on the verge of attaining self-sufficiency in milk production but set to emerge as a major milk producing state of the country, she added.

TRCMPU has made an initial provision of ₹ one crore to extend financial assistance to the flood-hit dairy farmers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha.

Relief package

TRCMPU Managing Director, D.S. Konda, presented the report. In October, TRCMPU announced an emergency relief package of ₹ one crore to help the dairy farmers in flood-hit areas, including a solatium of ₹25,000 for the next of kin of the farmers who lost their lives due to the disaster.

Farmers who have lost their cattle in the disaster are entitled to up to ₹25,000 as compensation under the package. Also, up to ₹20,000 would be given for re-building the cattle sheds destroyed in natural calamities and ₹10,000 for repair of the damaged buildings of milk co-operative societies.

TRCMPU teams had visited milk cooperatives in the flood-ravaged areas to assess the loss and damage on the dairy sector due to floods and landslides. The Union also launched a free cattle feed distribution programme to the farmers in these areas, besides organising veterinary aid camps in coordination with the co-operative societies.

--

V.Sajeev Kumar

Senior Assistant Editor

The Hindu Business Line

Kochi

Kerala

India

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