Mumbai: Maharashtra government has set up a committee headed by the Dairy Development Commissioner to suggest measures to further increase the milk production, provide fair price to milk producer and protect the interest of the milk producers from the cooperative and private sector. Further, the committee's task will include suggest road map for the sustainable development of milk and milk processing sector in the state.
The nine member committee comprises nine members from the cooperative and private sector, managing director of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Milk Federation, joint commissioner of Food and Drug Administration, executive director of National Cooperative Development Federation of India and regional director of National Dairy Development Board.
The state dairy development department joint secretary MA Gutte has issued notification on February 4. The committee is expected to advise the government periodically on the state of milk sector and hold meeting every after two months to take a review and provide update to the government.
Dairy Development Department officer told FPJ,'' Maharashtra has a daily milk and milk processing capacity of 2 crore litre of which 70 lakh litre is processed and cheese making. The current situation of the dairy industry is not due to excessive rainfall in Maharashtra , but this is the effect of various climatic conditions in the last two years. This year's prolonged monsoon has washed out agri corps so there is shortage of green fodder. There is a turmoil in the dairy industry for all these different geographical / climatic reasons. Restricted availability of green, nutritious feed and fodder has adverse effect non only on the availability of milk, its quality but also pregnancy and carving. If cows doesn’t get pregnant there is loss of entire season for farmers.
''The officer recalled that two years ago the dairy farming was in full swing but priced dipped due to surplus production. However, due to drought, the animal health deteriorated for want of nutritional fodder. '' Overall effect of this, the lactation cycle was missed and the per cow yield was reduced by 12-15%,'' he said.
Director of a leading private dairy hoped that the committee will study the global practices and suggest steps for awareness and education which will encourage farmers to keep more animals and increase the per cow yield.
