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Dairy farming, which had lost prominence as a farming activity a few years ago, is gaining momentum in many villages of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts now.
Idkidu village in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district has a population of around 7,500 and three milk cooperative societies. With around 300 active farmer members, Soorya, Idkidu and Mittur milk producers’ cooperative societies in the village generate an annual income of around ₹2.5 crore to ₹3 crore from dairy farming alone.
Krishna Bhat, president of Soorya Milk Producers’ Cooperative Society and director of Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, told Business Line that the total milk procurement from these three societies in the village is around 2,500 litres a day.
Remunerative prices
One of the main reasons for the revival of dairy farming is the remunerative prices given to dairy farmers. Members get ₹33 a litre for the milk they sell to milk cooperative societies. They were getting around ₹12 a litre seven years ago, he said.
Giving the example of Soorya milk producers’ cooperative society, Bhat said the society was started with 28 members in 1995-96. The total milk procurement that year was around 4400 litres. The society procured around 1.82 lakh litres of milk during 2015-16. Of the 186 members of the society, around 100 supply milk regularly to the society.
To make dairy farming self-sustainable, Soorya milk producers’ cooperative society has taken steps promote bio-gas plants in the farm of its members. A majority of the active milk suppliers to the society have installed biogas plants in their houses meeting the fuel requirement for their kitchen.
Steps have been taken to make better use of arecanut leaf sheath available in the farm of the members. A self-help group, promoted by the society, prepares disposable plates from the leaf sheath, and the pieces of leaf sheath that go waste after the manufacture of plates are used for manufacturing fodder, he said.
The society pays ₹1 for a leaf sheath. From a single leaf sheath, it prepares two disposable plates worth ₹2.50 each and fodder worth around ₹1.50.
Agreeing with the fact that arecanut is the major income generation source for the village, he said dairy farming is now emerging as the second major income generation activity in Idkidu village.
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