Dairy development in Assam

Continued improvements in dairy development scenario in Assam is needed to face emerging challenges to enhance agricultural growth.

The activities of Dairy Development in Assam were initiated with the basic concept of proctireincnt, processing and distribution of milk aiming at economic upliftment of rural milk producers on one hand and to help urban consumers to get quality milk at a reasonable price on the other.

Dairy Development Assam has in recent years also reinforced its facilitating role in increasing opportunities for income and employment and upliftment of poorer sections of the society with the broader perspective of a complete rural transformation. The milk production of Assam leaves a huge gap with the actual demand. Per capita availability of milk during 2006-07 was 70 gm/day in comparison to the all India figure of 246 grri/day. Total milk production in the State was 751 million tones in that year. As per 2003 livestock census the total milch bovine population of the state was 2808 thousands.

The Dairy Development, Assam is incessantly putting its endeavor to fill this gap. Towards achieving this goal and lo improve the overall performance of Dairy Developmeni in Assam. The department has worked out the following strategies:

To organize the presently dispersed dairy farmers in to integrated network of viable commercial unit i.e Dairy Cooperative Societies and their activities will be managed by Milk Unions which will be federated into Slate level Federation

To create/upgrade/renovate critical infrastructure to enhance the milk procurement, processing and marketing through organized sector

To upgrade the skill of the producers for clean milk production in order to maintain the norms of at least national standard.

To encourage and facilitate private participation and investment from both inside and outside the state in the dairy sector

Last but not least, all the existing or new schemes/projects under the Dairy Development. Assam will be carried out in synchronization with each other irrespective of the source of fund to achieve one common objective i.e to increase overall milk production in the State, thereby giving livelihood avenues to the poor dairy farmers on one hand and to give quality milk and milk products to the consumers at a remunerative price on the other. Project components of one programme will be tagged with another component of a different programme to give a supportive role and to make each programme sustainable and success ful. For example, for economic sustainability of the Dairy Cooperative Societies formed under World Bank financed AACP programme, cattle induction for the farmers will be provided from the fund allocated under Plan during Annual plan 2008-09,aswell as RKVY as there is no provision under AACP for cattle induction lo farmers.

To materialize these strategies, following main ongoing Schemes/ Projects under -State Plan, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, World Bank Aided Projects and other Schemes are proposed during 2008-09

A) Milk Village Scheme (State Plan) B). Town Milk Supply Scheme C) Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP) (Extemally aided project) D). Integrated Dairy Development Project (IDDP), Phase-1 (100% GOI funded) E) Intensive Dairy Development Programme(IDDP, Phase-11) (100% GOI funded) F). Project on infrastructure Development for Quality and Clean Milk Production (75% GOI funded & 25% beneficiary contribution on infrastructure (BMC) G) Rastriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY) H) NEC etc

The highlights of the recent development in the dairy sector includes the following in brief:

AACP

Under the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP) in respect of Dairy Development, the main objective is to organize the dispersed dairy farmers in to Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS) and Self Help Group (SHG) and to provide both forward and backward linkages to them in order to strengthen their capacity and make them more competitive and economically sustainable. A substantial number of dispersed dairy farmers.have been organized into viable groups with assured linkages under the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP). Already 173 DCS and 102 SHG.s have been organised in the state. 250 nos of DCS and 250 nos of SHGs will be organized under the project within the project period. The organized members of DCS/ SHG would receive training, start up capital for organization of DCS, milk testing equipment, clean milk production kit, milk can etc. There by their capacity would be built up and they would be more competitive to face the challenges in the years to come. Due to rigorous awareness campaign in the villages in association with NGOs, farmers would be aware about the growing opportunities about dairy farming. Exposure to the existing human resource for enhancing their capabilities in. terms of knowledge, skills and awareness through programmes in organization like NDDB.ASCI, Hyderabad, BAIF, Pune, NIFM, Faridabad.

Capacity Building of Beneficiaries

159 nos of Secretaries of DCSs and 32 Secretaries of SHGs trained at Institute of Cooperative Management, Guwahati, Assam. (2 weeks training programme)

72 Fanners’ couple oriented on Cooperative Dairying at Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti, Jagiroad, Assam. ( 3 days programme, where participant stays at the house of the members of Sitajakhala DUSS.) and another 50-60 couple will be trained Silajakhala DUSS.from 4tl’ April, 2008

112 farmers (one from each organized DCSs) visited Anand, Gujarat.

16 nos of Orientation camps for members of DCS organized, another 60 nos of camps are on pipeline.

CLEAN MILK PRODUCTION (CMP)

Under Clean Milk Production (CMP) a proposal was approved for implementation of the scheme in the area of Sitajakhala DUSS at Morigaon district at an total project cost of Rs.26.38 lakh, out of which Rs.21.06 Lakh is of GOI share and the rest of Rs.5.32 lakh is of Society share. For which Govt. of India released two installment of Rs.8.02 Lakh during 2004-05 and Rs.8.52 Lakh during 2006-07. Accordingly Govt. of Assam had also released 1st installment of Rs.8.02 lakh during 2005-06 and utilization of which is also made and submitted the Utilization certificate. As regard the 2"11 installment of Rs.8.52 lakh,sanction has been received from the Govt .recently and fund release proposal has already been sent to the Government. Under the CMP-II the project will be implemented in Darrang and Udalguri District with a total cost of Rs.ll6.94 lakh. Out of which Rs.97.63 lakh is of GOI share and the rest of Rs. 19.31 lakh as state Govt. share. Accordingly GOI had released Rs.20.00 lakh during 2006-07 and the sanction for Rs 20.00 lakhs has been received from the Govt. recently and fund release proposal has already been sent to the Government.

Dairy development firmly believes that the livestock sector has the potential of being  the driving force in agricultural growth and dairy development being one of the leading component, there has to be continued improvements in overall dairy development scenario in  Assam to face the emerging challenges with well defined dairy policy initiatives.

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