Baripada: Many farmers have become self-sufficient by taking up dairy farming. However, due to sale of milk at lesser prices and absence of refrigeration facilities, farmers incur heavy losses.
Absence of a processing plant in the district of Mayurbhanj is affecting them. As a result, dairy farming is losing its charm in the district. Instead, farmers are showing interest to try their hands at poultry, goatery and sheep rearing.
Riparian villages in the district have lush pasturelands for dairy farming. Farmers in the blocks of Baripada, Kuliana, Rasagobindapur, Badasahi and Udala situated on the banks of Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha, Gangahar, Sone and Jambhira rivers produce milk as green surroundings are suitable for livestock and cattle.
Keeping this in view, 12 milk refrigeration plants were opened by Omfed in the district. While the ones present in Anla, Patalipura, Bijipur, Badasahi and Baripada are functioning, those opened in Murukandia, Udala, Kumbharamundakata, Hatabadada, Badampahar and Karanjia are lying defunct and shut.
Also, owing to the absence of a processing plant, Omfed is transporting the collected milk from the refrigeration centres to the plant in Remuna. The farmers are suffering huge losses as they are not getting proper prices for their produce, said the farmers of Badasahi area Laxmidhar Giri, Sarat Giri and Prakash Barik.
According to 2019 count, there are 2,87,910 cows of domestic breeds, 27,405 jersey cows and 7,357 buffaloes in the district. There are 420 families engaged in milk production as members of Omfed. 2,500 litres of milk is produced daily in the district. Unavailability of markets during the Covid imposed lockdown has deterred the dairy farmers from their profession.
Sudhanshu Das, a farmer from Kendudihara said the amount of produced milk had dropped from 300 litres to 150 litres now compared to pre-pandemic times. Lack of sale forced them to reduce the number of cows from 40 to 22 in his farm.
A decade ago, 745 farmers were provided with better breed of cows through loans under the ‘Kshirsagar’ scheme. But the scheme was a failure due to the unavailability of milk refrigeration plant and proper markets for sale. As a result, the number of farmers availing loans given by the animal resources department and ITDA for dairy activities is falling.
If the dairy farmers are given proper prices and better technology, a large number of unemployed youths would become self-reliant bringing progress to the district in dairy farming, farmers Purushottam Panda, Jateendra Jena and Santosh Panda opined.
Demands are growing among the farmers’ community for the establishment of a milk processing plant by the government in the district.
PNN