6 factors impacting Rural Dairy Farming in India

Most people who do dairy farming have the problem that they do not earn much. They are busy with daily work day and night, take care of animals, feed them well, but get frustrated at the end of the month when they add an account of expenses and income. In Uttar Pradesh, dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi, who works as a dairy farmer in Farrukhabad district, is also facing the same problem.

Dairy farmer SanjayTripathi earlier worked in the realty sector in Delhi-NCR. Three years ago, he went to his village and started dairy farming to do some land-related work. He opened a dairy farm with five cows and today he has 20 cows, out of which 12 cows give milk and the rest are dry. There are also some calves on the farm.

When asked about his experience in dairy farming, he replied in despair that he does it day and night, but there is no significant earning at the end of the month. He said that they are dependent only on milk production and its sale.

Being in a rural area, milk does not get good prices, so they sell the entire milk at the collection center of a private dairy company set up in their locality. 30 to 35 per liter, but spend more than they earn in a month. When we asked him if he sold milk products like buttermilk, paneer, khoya, curd, etc. apart from milk, he refused. Obviously, depending only on milk production in dairy farming, it is a problem.

1. Data plays a huge role in dairy farming but there is a lack of awareness

Dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said he is planning to undergo training in making dairy products. During this time, we also discussed the other aspects of dairy farming and tried to find out their experience.

When asked questions related to technology and data, he said that technology and data play a big role in dairy farming, but being a small dairy farm, they do most of the work with their own hands.

Though they are fully aware of the technical machines used in dairy farms, they do not feel the need for them yet. Similarly, they write down all the data related to cows like how much milk was given by which cow every day, how much fodder he gave, how much mineral he gave, when the cattle came in heat, when it fell ill when it got ill, etc . in a register and reviews them every month to find out the status of the farm.

2. Difficulty in getting animal insurance

On the issue of animal insurance, he said he had taken a loan from the bank when he started the dairy farm. So it was the bank that got the insurance company to insure the cows, which they renewed even after a year.

But now they have a lot of difficulty in insuring cows. He said that on getting information about Pradhan Mantri Pashudhan Bima Yojana, he contacted the Doctor of Government Veterinary hospitals and also visited the animal husbandry department but did not get the benefit of the scheme.

It was informed that the scheme is for only one or two cattle herders, the income earners through animal husbandry will not get the benefit of the scheme. According to dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi, there is no concern about animal insurance as the price of the cow is very high and if it dies of illness, the entire loss is paid.

But if cows are not insured, there is a risk of damage in such a situation. He demanded the government to provide insurance facilities to all animals.

3. Good breed information is there but nothing concrete done

Talking about the preparation of a good breed of cows, he said that information has been obtained about it but is yet to start it in his dairy farm. Dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi Ji has categorically said that there should be no compromise on animal breeds in the dairy farming business as only a good breed of cow can get more milk.

He said that there is no problem in getting improved breed of semen in their locality, so they always breed their cows with artificial insemination i.e., the biggest advantage is that it shows that only 90 percent of the calf will be born and what breed it will be.

Though he said that he does not go to government veterinary doctors for AI, he also calls private doctors and experts to his farm, he also uses semen from private companies.

4. Calf rearing is not good for small dairy farms

Asked about the importance of calf rearing in dairy farming, dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said that calf rearing is not beneficial in small farms like him. Explaining the reason, he said that as the calf grows older, equal money is spent on its fodder, medicine, vaccination, etc., but for the first two years, the benefit is nothing.

Therefore, calf rearing in small dairy farms causes losses. The little savings that are saved by selling milk are spent on rearing calves. However, they are rearing three or four calves of good breed on their farm and preparing them to keep them on their farm in the future.

5. Good breed of cows found in Punjab and Haryana

Asked what to keep in mind while buying animals, dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said that in Uttar Pradesh, good breeds of animals are not available and they have to go to Haryana and Punjab. Initially, they brought cows from Punjab, but now they go to nearby villages and buy good breed cattle directly from the farmers.

When asked about the trade of cows on the Internet and Facebook, he said that he did know about it but has never bought cows online. He said that while buying a cow, one should milk four times the milk and test its teeth, udders, and horns. But all this is not possible online, so Sanjay Tripathi Ji does not understand how to buy cows through the Internet.

6. Private doctors resort to animal treatment

Dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said that to prevent diseases, he administers all the necessary vaccines to cows and gets them checked up by veterinary doctors from time to time. By doing this, the disease is detected before it occurs and is treated in time.

He said government veterinary doctors are not available on time, so they have to be in touch with private doctors. At the same time, they are fully aware of the deworming of cows. Dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said that deworming cows and calves every three months kills their stomach worms and refreshes the animal.

This increases the amount of milk while the fodder consumed in the body is also increased.