Major push for dairy sector in Kangra district

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, February 18

In the Budget announced yesterday, the Himachal Government has announced a major push for dairy sector in Kangra district. For the first time, the government has kept dedicated budget for sheep and goat. The move has been welcomed by shepherd associations of state.

Vaccination drive

• The government has kept Rs 10 crore for vaccination of eight lakh sheep and 11 lakh goats in the state against foot and mouth disease and deworming of animals
• In dairy sector, the government has announced setting up of a milk processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres per day at Dagwar near Dharamsala. Its capacity will be increased to 3 lakh litres per day
• The government has also announced setting up of new milk processing plants in Una and Hamirpur at a cost of Rs 50 crore

In the budget, the government has stated that there were eight lakh sheep and 11 lakh goats in the state and kept Rs 10 crore for their vaccination against foot and mouth disease and deworming of animals. The government has also talked about tackling the challenge being faced by sheep farmers in selling their wool produce due to cheap imports from other countries.

In dairy sector, the government has announced setting up of a milk processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres per day at Dagwar near Dharamsala. The capacity of the processing plant will be increased to 3 lakh litres per day in a phased manner. The government has also announced to set up new milk processing plants in Una and Hamirpur with an investment of Rs 50 crore.

As per the proposal, 50 per cent subsidy will be provided to locals for setting up milk collection centres. As many as 200 refrigerated vans will be purchased for carrying milk to processing plants from collection centres.

Akshay Jasrotia, state advisor of Himachal Pradesh Ghumantu Pashu Palak Sabha, said, “We had been lobbying hard for a dedicated budget for shepherds of the state which comprise of about 10 per cent population of the state. However, successive governments had been ignoring the demand. It was for the first time that the government has kept a budget of Rs 10 crore for sheep and goat farmers in the state which was a welcome step,” he said.

Pawana Kumari, secretary of Himachal Pradesh Ghumantu Pashu Palak Sabha, said the traditional gaddi shepherds contribute significantly to the economy of the state with hardly any support from the government. “I hope that the budget given by the government would be used judiciously for welfare of shepherd community of the state by the officials at the ground level,” she said.

Yogesh, a dairy farmer from Kangra, said that the government initiative to promote dairy farming in the state was a welcome step but a lot of work needed to be done at the ground level. The dairy farmers in Kangra face problems in selling their produce as there are very few collection centres. Besides, non-availability of fodder in the state was another challenge. Most of fodder in the state comes from the adjoining state of Punjab and its prices are going up every year which is making dairy in the state unviable, he said.