March 8, 2013

 

 

Dairy farmers in Goa, India, have more than doubled in numbers during the past year, thus boosting milk output by almost 20%.

 

State government officials believe that schemes implemented by Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AHVS) are driving the 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 said that milk production will touch 68,000 litres by end of fiscal 2013.

 

The number of farmers registered under various schemes implemented by 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 flagship Kamdhenu scheme was modified after Manohar Parrikar took over the reins, giving more incentives to the farmers, Vernekar said.

 

The incentives have successfully raised the number of farmers.

 

Goa, which has a requirement of 3.5-4 lakh litres of milk daily, is largely dependent on neighbouring states for the supply. The cooperative movement in Goa Milk Union was not fruitful, as milk production remained low till 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", said B Braganza, director of AVHS.

 

Around 5,000 new animals will be purchased by various farmers in the state, he added.

 

He said that the poor quality of fodder, supplied to cattle, was one of the main reasons for declining milk production.