Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday discussed ways to improve livelihood of dairy farmers through different innovative business models with the NDDB and dairy cooperatives.

Besides National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), representatives of Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers” Union were present in the meeting held at Anand, Gujarat.

“Dairying in India is more about livelihoods to millions of farmers than simply a business. Milk is also India”s single largest agricultural commodity in value terms and is more than the combined value of paddy and wheat put together,” a statement said quoting minister having said during discussion.

To achieve the target of doubling farmers” income, the NDDB is promoting technology-driven income generating activities for the dairy farmers, he said.

“Motivating and involving dairy farmers in multiple streams of income through diverse alternative activities targeted at their livelihood diversification is important for building their economic resilience and welfare,” he noted.

The minister also interacted with dairy farmers at Zakariyapura village and appreciated them for adopting a new technology of biogas plants.

These biogas plants are installed by the dairy farmers in their backyard for producing gas to be used as cooking fuel.

The bio-slurry produced from these biogas plants is primarily used by the farmers in their own field and surplus bio-slurry gets sold to other farmers or converted into organic fertilisers.

Further, the minister lauded farmers for venturing into slurry processing and manufacturing of organic fertiliser and stressed for the market access for sale of surplus slurry produced through a village dairy cooperative society.

Singh also visited NDDB”s modern Ovum Pick Up and InVitro Embryo Production (OPU-IVEP) facility.

Source : PTI LUX MKJ