Telangana up for White Revolution

India is the leader in milk production in the world. The central government has been framing many schemes and giving incentives to secure its number one position in the sector. And now, with the CM of Telangana, the state governments also has ignited to support the dairy community with funds and scheme announcements. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced his government’s plans to bring milk revolution, ‘paala velluva or ksheera viplavam’, in the State by providing one buffalo each to about two lakhs member farmers of all cooperative dairies.

Milk Producers (Dairy Farmers) from the Vijaya Dairy Development Society, Mulkanur Dairy Development Society, Nalgonda and Rangareddy Districts Dairy Development Societies and Karimnagar will be given top priority in the schemes to be announced. The demand of the other Dairy farmers of the Societies has been also accepted to give them Rs 4 per Litre as an incentive as is done in the case of the dairy farmers of the Vijaya Dairy. The government through Dairy Development Societies would also provide 50 percent subsidy for buying a Buffalo by the farmer. The subidy has been extended upto 75 percent for the SC/ST community. The incentives will be implemented from September 24 onwards and the distribution of Buffaloes will commence after two months. As is done in case of Sheep distribution, the beneficiaries themselves will identify and buy the Buffaloes and subsidy will be routed through the Dairy Development Societies.

In a noble move, the CM has asked that every farmer should plant six saplings in their house and name each sapling after one of their family members and take care of the plants by watering regularly.

He suggested that the milk producers go for local breeds as the breeds from far-off areas would struggle to cope with the weather conditions in the State. When asked, a few representatives of milk producers told the Chief Minister that one good buffalo would cost anything between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 60,000. Stating that the scheme would require about Rs. 500 crore for implementation. Against huge requirement of about one-crore litres of milk every day its production in the State was very limited and the State was also getting supplies from Karnataka (6 lakh litres a day), Andhra Pradesh (4 lakh litres) and Gujarat (2 lakh litres) every day to meet the demand in Hyderabad and a few other urban areas. If the scheme comes out with flying colors, it will improve milk production in the State, supply to cooperative dairies, from the existing 7 lakh litres a day to 10 lakh litres a day in six months’ time.