Comments
The number of dairy farmers in Goa has more than doubled during the past year, boosting the production of milk by almost 20 per cent, signalling a white revolution in rural areas of the coastal State.
State Government officials claim that schemes implemented by Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AHVS) are driving production as more people take to dairy farming.
Official statistics reveal that production has risen from 40,000 litres per day during 2011 to 51,000 litres per day from December 2012 onwards.
Officials also claim that milk production will touch 68,000 litres by the end of fiscal 2013.
The number of farmers registered under various schemes implemented by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AHVS) has increased from 6,067 last year to 15,557 in the current year.
Giriraj Vernekar, Special Assistant to Chief Minister in-charge of agriculture and AHVS told PTI that the schemes were tailor-made for the requirements of dairy farmers.
“The aim was to make the dairy business lucrative. The farmers should get the profits,” he said.
The flagship Kamdhenu scheme was modified after Manohar Parrikar took over the reins giving more incentives to the farmers, Vernekar said.
Official records reveal that under the Kamdhenu scheme, subsidies worth Rs 1.9 crore were distributed during the current fiscal as against Rs 82 lakh during the last fiscal.
The incentives worked and the number of farmers swelled.
“I have come across a dairy farmer who has constructed a house and can afford a monthly EMI of Rs 25,000,” Vernekar said.
Goa, which has a requirement of 3.5-4 lakh litres of milk everyday, is largely dependent on neighbouring States for the supply. The cooperative movement in the Goa Milk Union was not fruitful, as milk production remained low till the end of last year.
“Things are changing for the better. We have set a target of having one lakh litres of additional milk production from Goa itself, which will decrease our dependence on other States,” B. Braganza, Director, AVHS, said.
Around 5,000 new animals would be purchased by farmers in the State, he added.
He said poor quality fodder supplied to the cattle was one of the reasons for sliding milk production.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.