At a time when the COVID-19 lockdown has shut down most economic activities, dairying, which is continuing unhindered in rural areas, is assuring a regular income for many farming households.
In fact, the State’s rural economy is now surviving mainly on dairying, as farmers are finding it difficult to sell their horticultural and agricultural produce. Dairy farmers are relatively safe as milk producers’ co-operative societies have not stopped milk procurement from them or cut payments. This enterprise has now started catching the attention of youngsters as well.
B.G. Sathish, secretary of the milk producers’ co-operative society in Bannikuppe village of Ramanagaram taluk, said that two new categories of people have been showing interest in dairying ever since the lockdown began — those who worked as labourers or did ordinary jobs in Bengaluru but had to return home because of the lockdown, and those who are well-educated and have good jobs in Bengaluru, but fear the possibility of job loss or pay cut. “I have been getting enquiries from such people on a daily basis, seeking guidance to start dairying,” he said.
Mr. Sathish said that if a farmer has three or four cows of good breed, he or she can, on an average, get over 50 litres of milk a day. “This will get a monthly revenue of ₹55,000 to ₹60,000, at a rate of ₹34 a litre, including the incentive of ₹5 per litre being given by the government,” he said. This gives a profit of ₹35,000 to ₹40,000 if the farmer grows green fodder in his or her field and manages the unit without labourers.
“My family depends on dairying and we earn an average monthly income of ₹50,000 from dairying,” said Mr. Sathish. Milk societies procure milk from their member-farmers twice in a day and issue printed receipts in return of procurement. The payment is credited to the farmers’ bank accounts once in 15 days.
The Bannikuppe milk producers’ co-operative society, which procures 1,500 to 2,000 litres of milk a day from its 100-plus members, pays a total of ₹15 lakh a month to its members. This has not changed since the lockdown came into effect.
