Dairy-based Livelihoods
63
sectors are arranging for such services at
reasonable costs for the dairy farmers. They
realise that the knowledge and skills to be
imparted to farmers has to be continuous and
it takes them time to adopt/change practices.
As a thumb rule, 10 paise per litre of milk is
spent on extension services.
Nestlé India established the first milk
factory in India. The factory produces milk
powders, infant products and condensed
milk. Nestlé works with around 110,000milk
farmers and collects over 300 million kgs of
milk every year from Punjab, Haryana and
Rajasthan. The job of sourcing milk from
farmers is done by private commission agents
appointed by the company. Nestl operates a
network of 1,100 agents who receive 2.3 per
cent commission on the value of the milk
supplied to the dairy. Nestl assists the farm-
ers to increase milk productivity and expand
their herds via financial assistance, techni-
cal assistance regarding feeding practices,
breeding, mechanisation of dairy farms and
making veterinary services available through
a team of around 35 veterinarians and farm-
ers’ training and education.
Warana, a cooperative, procures on an
average 3 lakh litres of milk from 70,000
members per day. Warana arranges for vet-
erinary services at a nominal fees of
`
50/- per
animal. Seeds for fodder are provided at
75 per cent subsidy. The cooperative part-
ners with universities and also other gov-
ernment departments to transfer the latest
knowledge to farmers. They also propagate
the usage of machines like milkingmachines
so that the drudgery of farmers is reduced.
4. Feed and fodder
India, with only 2.29 per cent of the world’s
land area, is maintaining about 10.71
per cent of global livestock population.
12
Feed largely determines good milk yield;
the nutritive value of feed and fodder has
a significant bearing on the productivity
of livestock. For the farmers, the feed cost
constitutes about 60 per cent to 70 per cent
of the operating expenses.
The Working Group of Planning
Commission estimated that for achieving
the targeted milk production of 160 million
tonnes by 2020, 494 metric tonnes (mt) dry
fodders, 825mt green fodder and 54mt con-
centrates would be required annually. The
current deficit of green fodder, dry fodder
and concentrates is 63 per cent, 24 per cent
and 76 per cent respectively.
13
The following
table (Table 4.6) presents the fodder scenario
in the country and the large gap that needs
filling.
Table 4.6:
Demand and supply of fodder: An estimate
(in million tonnes)
Year
Supply
Demand
Deficit as % of demand (as actual)
Green
Dry
Green
Dry
Green
Dry
1995
379.3
421
947
526
568 (59.95)
105 (19.95)
2000
384.5
428
988
549
604 (61.10)
121 (21.93)
2005
389.9
443
1,025
569
635 (61.96)
126 (22.08)
2010
395.2
451
1,061
589
666 (62.76)
138 (23.46)
2015
400.6
466
1,097
609
696 (63.50)
143 (23.56)
2020
405.9
473
1,134
630
728 (64.21)
157 (24.81)
2025
411.3
488
1,170
650
759 (64.87)
162 (24.92)
Source:
Excerpted from the Handbook of Agriculture, Chapter 37, ICAR 2012. The estimates pertain to the livestock
population and not just dairy animals.
12
Annual Report of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India, 2014.
13
The World Bank. 2010. NDSP, Project appraisal document,
/
en/2010/04/12157650/india-national-dairy-support-project.
