'Kerala to Provide Year-Round Subsidies to Dairy Farmers,' says Animal Husbandry Minister

As Kerala continues to pay farmers the highest price for milk in the country, any further increase in market rates will jeopardize the influx of cheap dairy products. Nonetheless, the government is aware that farmers' income from milk sales does not cover the cost of keeping cattle.

As a result, the administration has decided to provide farmers with subsidies by collaborating with the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development departments, as well as Milma and local self-government institutions, the Minister said at a seminar hosted by Kerala Feeds Ltd (KFL) in Thrissur.

"We have made arrangements to ensure that the subsidies reach the farmers' bank accounts directly," she said at the symposium's opening session on 'Cattle-feed: Quality, Price, and Availability.'

Noting that a lack of maize as a key raw material for cattle feed has been a persistent operational issue for the public-sector KFL, Chinchurani stated that efforts have begun to grow the cereal grain on a large scale in the State.

"KFL has expressed its willingness to purchase any amount of maize," she added, revealing that a delegation of scientists from top institutions across the country will arrive in Kerala this weekend to help put the plan into action.

Women cattle-care workers in the Animal Husbandry Department will be paid more starting next month for their efforts to sell more KFL products to dairy farmers, according to the Minister.

The PSU is training employees to provide the necessary skills. Farmers can obtain loans of up to Rs 20,000 using the Kisan Credit Card to purchase a cow. According to her, the innovative scheme allows them to enjoy collateral-free loans of up to Rs 1.60 lakh at 4% interest.

In addition, every block in the state will have a veterinary ambulance, and there will be a district-level operation theatre for cattle, as well as tele-veterinary units with X-ray capabilities. The Pathanamthitta district will pilot an innovative scheme by introducing a nano-chip that will provide all relevant information about the cattle, according to the Minister.

KFL Chairman K Sreekumar stated that the uncontrolled rise in raw material prices is threatening the company's financial security, which was founded in 1999. The government should enact legislation to regulate the prices of cattle feed.

B Sreekumar, Managing Director of KFL, stated that the government's stance has been to sell the PSU's 50-kg cattle-feed bags at Rs 160 less than private competitors. He also welcomed the government's decision to include fodder promoters and female cattle-care workers in KFL's product sales promotion during routine interactions with dairy farmers.