Dairy farming doesn't earn much profit, what to do? - Sanjay Tripathi (Dairy Farmer), U.P.
Most people who do the work of dairy farming have the problem that they do not earn much. They are busy in daily work day and night, taking care of the animals, feeding them well, but at the end of the month, when they add the account of expenses and income, they become frustrated. Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer who works as a dairy farmer in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh, is also facing the same problem.
Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, used to work in the realty sector in Delhi-NCRearlier. Three years ago, he went to his village to do some work related to the land and started dairy farming. 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. In addition to this, there are also some calves on the farm. When asked about his experience of dairy farming, he replied with disappointment that he does it day and night, but at the end of the month, there is no earning much. He said that they depend only on milk production and its sale. Being a rural area, the milk does not get good prices, so they sell the whole milk at the collection center of a private dairy company set up in their area. This gives them a price of Rs 30 to Rs 35 per liter, but in a month, more than they earn. When we asked them whether they sell milk products like buttermilk, paneer, khoya, curd, etc., besides milk, they refused. Obviously, in dairy farming, this problem comes from relying only on milk production.
The very big role of data in dairy farming
Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, said he was thinking of taking training in making dairy products. During this time, we also interacted with them on other aspects of dairy farming and tried to know their experience. Asked about technology and data, he said technology and statistics play a huge role in dairy farming, but being a small dairy farm, they do most of the work with their own hands. Although he is fully aware of the technical machines used in dairy farms, he does not feel the need for them right now. Similarly, they write all the data related to cows such as how much milk per day, how much fodder given to it, how much mineral, when it came to the heat when it fell ill when did the AI, etc., write the data in a register and review them every month to find out the status of the farm.
There is difficulty in getting animal insurance.
On the issue of animal insurance, he said that when he started a dairy farm, he had taken a loan from the bank. So the bank had insured the cows from the insurance company, which they had renewed even after a year. But now they have a lot of trouble in ensuring cows. He said that on getting information about the Pradhan Mantri Livestock Insurance Scheme, he contacted the doctors of the government veterinary hospital, also made rounds of the animal husbandry department, but they did not get the benefit of the scheme. It was told that this scheme is only for one to two cattle rearers, those earning through animal husbandry will not get the benefit of this scheme. According to Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, there is no worry about the animals being insured, because the price of the cow is very high and if he dies of the disease, then the full amount of the loss is received. But if the cows are not insured, there is a risk of loss in such a situation. He demanded the government to provide facilities to ensure all the animals.
Having Good breed information, but nothing done
Regarding the preparation of good breed cows, he said that he has obtained information about it, but has not yet been able to start it on his dairy farm. Sanjay Tripathi Ji, a dairy farmer, clearly says that in the business of dairy farming, there should be no compromise with the breed of animals, because only a good breed of cow can get more milk. He said that there is no problem in finding an improved breed of semen in their area, so they always get their cows made by artificial insemination i.e. AI. The biggest advantage of this is that it is known that only 90 percent of the calf will be born and which breed it will be. Although he said that he does not go to government veterinarians for AI, but only calls private doctors and experts to his farm, Seeman also uses private companies.
Calf rearing for small dairy farms is not fine
Asked about the importance of calf rearing in dairy farming, Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, said that calf rearing is not profitable in small farms like his. Explaining the reason for this, he said that as the calf grows older, its fodder, medicines, vaccination, etc. cost an equal amount of money, but for the first two years, there is no benefit. Therefore, there is a loss due to calf rearing in small dairy farms. The little savings that are made by selling milk are spent on rearing the calves. However, they are rearing three to four calves of good breed on their farm and preparing them to keep them on their farm in the future.
Good breed of cows found in Punjab and Haryana
Asked about what to keep in mind while buying the animals, dairy farmer Sanjay Tripathi said that in Uttar Pradesh, a good breed of animals is not available, for which they have to go to Haryana and Punjab. Initially, they had brought cows from Punjab, but now they go to nearby villages and buy cows of good breed directly from the farmers. When asked about the trade of cows on the internet and Facebook, he said that he knows about it, but has never bought cows through an online medium. He said that while buying a cow, one should milk four times, its teeth, trunks, and udder should be tested. But all this is not possible through online mediums, so Sanjay Tripathi Ji does not understand the idea of buying cows through the internet.
Resorting to private doctors for the treatment of animals
Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, said that to prevent diseases, they administer all the necessary vaccines to the cows and also get them checked by the veterinary doctor from time to time. By doing this, the disease is detected before it occurs and is treated in time. He said that government veterinarians are not found on time, so they have to keep in touch with private doctors. At the same time, they also have full information about the deworming of the cows. Sanjay Tripathi, a dairy farmer, said that by dewarming cows and calves every three months, their stomach worms die and the animal is refreshed. This increases the amount of milk while the food eaten is found in the body.