The arecanut plantation of Mr Narahari Prabhu at Muduperar village was a beehive of activity for dairy farmers on Tuesday with many bringing their cattle to the cattle fair, and others visiting the spot to know more about rearing of some of the new breeds of cattle.

Organised by the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, farmers brought more than 350 cattle to the fair from near and far off places.

A platform for dairy farmers to interact with officials and fellow farmers, the fair focused on issues concerning dairy farming in Dakshina Kannada district.

Many farmers, with whom this reporter spoke, said that dairy farming needs to be supplemented by other farm activity, and also expressed concern over the lack of good quality cattle in the market. However, the President of the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, Mr Raviraj Hegde, stressed the need for better calf-rearing practice to improve the yield.

COST FACTOR

Mr Hegde said that there is scarcity of cattle in Dakshina Kannada district. A cow, which cost around Rs 15,000 a year ago, now costs more than Rs 25,000. Considering this, the cooperative union is encouraging better calf-rearing practice among dairy farmers. A fair like this will have a demonstrative effect on farmers, he said.

Showing his HF (Holstein-Friesian) breed of cattle, Mr Sadananda Shetty from the nearby Ekkar village told Business Line that he has three HF breed cattle, and gets around 18 litres a day from two of them. One cow, which is in its fourth year, is not even able to conceive. “I have brought this cow also to discuss the matter with the veterinarian here,” he said.

FARM ACTIVITY MUST

Saying that his paddy field helps him sustain the cost of dairy farming, Mr Shetty said the cattle feed price has increased by Rs 35-40 a kg and the price of the milk being sold to the cooperative society by only Rs 2 a liter.

But for Mr Rukku Pujari from the nearby Mogaru village, who rears a cow of local breed, the Rs 2 increase is enough for him. However, he stressed on the need for having paddy field or arecanut plantation to meet the cost of dairy farming.

The star attraction of the fair was the Gir and Sahiwal breeds from Mr Ratankumar of Nellikaru village. Mr Ratankumar said he has travelled 50 km, from Muduperar. He brought the Gir breed of cattle from Gujarat and Sahiwal from Punajb.

Happy with their productivity, he said the cost of rearing these cattle is less than that of Jersey breed.

Mr Yashovarma, secretary of the Nellikar Milk Cooperative Society, said that the Gir breed gives around 15 litres of milk a day here, compared to around 25 litres a day in Gujarat.

Mr Narahari Prabhu, President of Mudabettu Milk Cooperative Society – in whose farm the cattle fair was held – said that he rears around 100 cattle. The cooperative society in his village, which was collecting 100 litres of milk a day two years ago, is now collecting 300 litres a day.

Considering the scarcity of fodder in the market, he is now bringing a truckload of cattle fodder block from Rajasthan on an experimental basis. The fodder block includes all the necessary ingredients for cattle. Based on the results, further decision will be taken, he added.

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