The cost of fodder in the cow business has skyrocketed in recent years. Taking this into account the Kerala government has initiated measures to make abundant quantities of cattle feed accessible to dairy farmers at affordable prices as part of its attempts to lower the dairy sector’s input costs. 

In conjunction with Milma and other dairy sector authorities, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J Chinchurani stated the government is putting top importance on ensuring a remunerative price for milk producers and easing the burden of periodic increases in cow feed price. 

The lack of components to create cattle feed is a major issue for the state. As a result, cow feed prices are skyrocketing. The administration is working on solutions to this problem. The cultivation of feeding grass is one of them. She went on to say that milk cooperative organizations will be encouraged to start growing grass on land available in their communities.

The minister went on to say that Kerala is not only on the edge of milk self-sufficiency but is also poised to become a major milk-producing state in the country. TRCMPU has set aside one crore to help dairy farmers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha who have been affected by the floods. 

Kerala is not the only state that had to face a problem due to the high prices of cattle feed. In fact due to the essential nature of feeds and forage for cattle productivity. The widening imbalance between supply and demand is cause for concern. 

Livestock rearing is an important source of income and a risk-mitigation method for small and marginal farmers in the country’s rain-fed regions. According to the 20th Livestock, Census issued last year, India’s overall  livestock population is 535.78 million, up 4.6 per cent from the previous Census in 2012. Cattle, buffalo, Mithun, and Yak make up the 302.79 million bovine population. The availability of feed and fodder influences the growth and development of cattle and they have played a vital role in helping India surpass the United States as the world’s largest milk producer (187.7 million tonnes in 2018-19). 

Hence this decision by the Kerala Government to reduce the price of cattle feed is something that might be needed to be followed by the other Indian states sooner or later.

Source : Krishi Jagaran Dec 10th 2021