Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (DKMUL) has decided to provide a subsidy of Rs 25 per bag of cattle feed worth Rs 1350 from August 1, said DKMUL president Sucharitha Shetty.
"The initiative has been taken up by the DKMUL in the interest of the dairy farmers. The DKMUL will spend Rs 30 lakh per month for the subsidy on cattle feed", he told mediapersons.
Stating that the DKMUL has achieved a business turnover of Rs 1108.08 crore during the financial year 2023-24, Shetty said that the the union has minted a net profit of Rs 8.29 crore. The total milk procurement per day in Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi districts is 3,91367 litres.
A reduction of about 40,000 to 45,000 litres in milk production was seen during the rainy season. To meet the demand of the customers, the DKMUL is procuring about 1 lakh litres of milk from neighbouring milk unions including Hassan, Shivamogga and Mandya.
Among all the milk unions in the state, DKMUL pays the highest subsidy of Rs 35 per litre supplied by the farmers. To sustain milk production in DK and Udupi amid challenges of farmers moving away from dairy farming, the DKMUL has sought permission from the government to provide an additional Rs 5 subsidy to the farmers in undivided DK.
Addressing a query on the land reserved for activities of DKMUL including milk processing and setting up of a mini dairy unit in Puttur, Shetty said that about 10 acres of land has been allotted by the government. The DKMUL has has decided to purchase an additional 4.5 acres of private land near the one allotted by the government. The President said that 40,000 cows have been insured for which DKMUL has spent Rs 3.27 crore.
DKMUL MD Vivek D said, "to cultivate green fodder on the land belonging to the district Gaushala at Koila in Kadaba taluk and distribute it among farmers, the DKMUL has written to the social forestry to clear acacia trees grown on the said land. Once the land is handed over to us, we are ready to grow green fodder on 25 acres of land.”
Due to increase in temperatures and a harsh summer, the district faces shortage of green fodder. To meet the growing demand of green fodder, the DKMUL is encouraging farmers to process the silage on their own on the lines of their counterparts in other parts of the state. They have also mentioned that training will be imparted to the interested on the same.
From March to June, the DKMUL has supplied 2000 tonnes of silage to the dairy farmers at a subsidised rate of Rs 6.65 per kg. As a result, the milk production in undivided DK increased to 3.76 lakh from 3.15 lakh during the summer, Vivek added. To promote cultivation of green fodder amid areca nut plantation, financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per acre is also provided.