Andhra eyes top slot in milk production

Draws up plans to implement 'second white revolution'.

Andhra Pradesh is setting an ambitious target of becoming the country's top milk producing state in the next 2-3 years. The state is currently ranked fourth in terms of milk production in the country.

During the last financial year, the state's total milk production was estimated at 7.3 million tonne at the rate of 191.53 lakh litres a day. Of this, co-coperatives and private dairies handled 11 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

A convergence of fresh initiatives with rural poverty initiatives, which are under way through the self-help group movement, is being worked out to achieve the desired results aimed under the 'second white revolution', coined by the state government.

Addressing a workshop on sensitisation of the field level officials in districts on the government's action plan for dairy-related activities here on Thursday, Mandali Budha Prasad, state animal husbandry minister, said the government would increase the budgetary support to dairy activities to Rs 1,000 crore next year if the department could utilise Rs 500 crore given this year.

The government has already drawn up plans to provide one lakh milching animals, brought from outside the state, to the rural poor through subsidy-cum-bank-linkage route this year. The dairy and rural development departments will set up automatic milk collection centres at village- level and bulk cooling units (BCUs) at mandal-level involving farmers and women self-help groups.

This year, the department has proposed to establish 136 BCUs in 136 mandals and set up at least 20 automatic milk collection centres in 20 villages of a mandal. Each with a capacity of 5,000 litres or two 2,000 litres, these BCUs are proposed to be established in each of the over 1,100 mandals in a phased manner.

While the state government is offering 25 per cent subsidy on the price of animals under its one lakh animals scheme, about 32,000 animals are being given under the Prime Minister's package to the poor farmers in the 16 drought prone districts at 50 per cent subsidy this year.

The dairy initiative would also be backed by all the essential support services such as animal healthcare, artificial insemination to produce high milk yielding calves, cold chains among other things.

"We now have to transform into an integrated animal development department from being an animal healthcare unit all these years," Priyadarsi Das, special chief secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development department, said.