It’s a strange irony. The ambitious Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) has rekindled hopes among farmers to take up agricultural activities for two crop seasons. But it has also caused collateral damage: dairy units have been hit with a steady decline in milk production.
Thanks to the abundant availability of water everywhere in the integrated Karimnagar district, the number of dairy farmers is steadily declining. Even farmers of upland drought-prone areas of Sircilla, Husnabad, Chigurumamidi, and other regions are going for green farming, thanks to water from KLIP.
Procurement slump
So much so, the Karimnagar Milk Producer Company, aka Karimnagar Dairy has seen a decline in milk procurement by 60,000 litres a day forcing dairy officials to purchase milk from neighbouring Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This has hiked production cost, and the dairy is planning to increase its sales prices.
In fact, the figures are revealing. In December 2019, milk procurement was 1.8 lakh litres per day. But it started declining from the first week of January onwards from 1.44 lakh litres per day to the present 1.23 lakh litres. On the other hand, the sales had touched 2 lakh litres per day.
Fall in milk yield
The decline in the procurement of milk had been attributed to the farmers shunning the dairy units and taking up cultivation of paddy. Besides, milk yield too has reduced from the milch animals by at least 50 per cent following disease attacks such as lice, poor feed, and lack of adequate fodder.
To exacerabte, the State government too had failed to add new milch animals to increase milk production. While the government had announced distribution of two lakh buffaloes at the rate of one buffalo to each cooperative sector farmer, authorities could distribute only 50,000 buffaloes in 2018-19. And, there was no addition of animals in 2019-20.
Enticing farmers
Expressing concern over the decline of milk procurement, Karimnagar Dairy Managing Director P. Shankar Reddy told The Hindu: “We were forced to purchase milk from neighbouring districts. However, we are taking all measures to increase milk procurement by encouraging farmers to take up dairy units by distributing milch animals, specially designed feed to increase yield, and increasing milk procurement price.”
Further, Mr. Reddy said the dairy officials have formed into special teams and touring the bulk cooling units (BCU) to interact with the farmers and motivating them to take up dairy units. “We are also planning special veterinary medical camps for the treatment of animals, and artificial insemination programmes,” he explained.