Aimed at providing regular income to distressed farmers, NABARD has come out with a Rs 1000 crore National Milk Plan that will be launched in 325 districts across the country in collaboration with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
MUMBAI: Aimed at providing regular income to distressed farmers, NABARD has come out with a Rs 1000 crore National Milk Plan that will be launched in 325 districts across the country in collaboration with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
Concerned over the growing suicides among farmers, particularly during drought and crop failure, the Plan would ensure regular subsidiary income.
Though the country had a White Revolution because of the success of milk co-operatives in several states, there was a huge potential for increasing milk production as the per capita consumption was still low compared to global standards and that milk and milk products offered huge export potential.
"NABARD and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) have formed a joint venture to create infrastructure in 326 districts where milk production is taking place in concentrated manner," Nabard's Chairman Y S P Thorat said.
Nabard in association with NDDB would support activities pertaining to milk production, handling, processing and marketing in the identified districts across the country.
"National Milk Plan will create infrastructure for milk chilling, milk processing, animal breeding," Thorat said adding the focus would also be on distressed districts and where co-operatives are weak.
According to estimates the demand for milk would be around 172 million tonnes in 2021-22, and to meet this demand milk production would have to grow at 4 per cent per annum.
In milk there is an income stream everyday and whereever milk is a subsidiary activity, suicides have not taken place, he observed.
The Plan aims at increasing productivity and optimising cost of production by providing necessary institutional credit support for quality breeding, optimising use of feed and its availability along with superior animal health services.
A four per cent growth would result in an incremental production of 5 million tonnes per year as compared to 2.5 million tonnes per annum in last 15 years.
A significant aspect of dairy development is that 70 per cent of the workforce are women, thereby it would not impact the daily acitivity of farmers who spend most of their times on fields.
In India the per capita consumption of milk was 226 gm per day as against the prescribed domestic requirement of 250 gms.
Apart from beating the distress of the farmers, dairy development provides rural employment and there was increasing demand for exports of dairy products.
After implementing the scheme in 326 districts, Thorat said, NABARD would push the scheme in remaining 270 districts with the government support.
The National Dairy Development Board would provide technical know how for the Plan, which would cover several districts in North East apart from drought prone areas in the Central and Western India, he said.
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