Cattle melas, sops set Goa on path to milk self-sufficiency

The average milk production in Goa had risen from 66,000 litres per day in 2016-17 to 72,000 litres a day now on the back of a slew of government measures.
This was disclosed in the Economic Survey report tabled in the Goa Assembly during its just concluded session.
The rise in output, officials said, has allowed the state, currently dependent on Maharashtra and Karnataka to fulfil its milk requirements, to move towards becoming self- sufficient in its production.
The Goa government has said the Kamdhenu scheme, in which the state provided financial help to farmers purchasing cattle, was a major reason for this upswing.

Figures tabled in the Assembly showed 1,559 cattle were purchased in 2017-18 against 1,395 in 2016-17.
The report said "cattle melas" (animal fairs) held regularly across the coastal state had also played an important role in increasing milk production.

It said melas were helping farmers buy cattle, brought from different parts of the country, within Goa itself, thereby saving time and money.
To make Goa self-sufficient in milk production, the government has launched a scheme to provide incentives for milk purchase as well as for cattle feed.
The state currently has an electronic clearance system in which a subsidy/incentive of 40 per cent is directly deposited into the farmer's bank account once milk is sold to dairy cooperatives.