Uttar Pradesh govt plans to set up micro dairies of Indian cow breeds

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced financial assistance to set up micro dairies of Indian cow breeds to promote indigenous industries, crops, and livestock, Milk Commissioner and Mission Director Shashi Bhushan Lal Sushil has said. The scheme is aimed at not only increasing milk production and preserving indigenous cow breeds such as Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Gir, but raising the income of economically weak cattle herders.

The government will provide Rs 40,000 for the purchase of indigenous cow breeds under the Nand Baba Milk Mission, which has the mandate to augment dairy production. However, the subsidy is applicable to procuring a maximum of two indigenous cow breeds per herder. The financial assistance will cover the cost incurred on transportation, transit insurance, and animal insurance of the cattle.

Additionally, the government will give incentive to indigenous cow herders under the Mukhyamantri Prag­atisheel Pashupalak Protsahan Yojana, which is subject to a maximum of two cows of indigenous breed. The government has cumulatively incurred a sum of nearly Rs 1,700 crore to provide shelter to more than 1.1 million stray cattle, mostly cows. 

The state has also dealt with illegal slaughter houses and cattle smugglers with an iron hand.

The agriculture department is also looking to ring fence crop-laden fields with ‘solar fencing’, which would keep the stray cattle astray by giving a non-lethal mild 12-volt electric shock to solve the problem. Moreover, the state is taking steps to shelter stray cattle by providing financial assistance to farmers and cow shed owners for their upkeep under the Mukhyamantri Nirasrit Govansh Sahbhagita Yojana.

The government said more than 900,000 cows were accommodated in about 6,000 temporary cow shelters in UP, while nearly 140,000 and 86,000 cows were housed in 280 cow protection centres and Kanha Gaushala respectively.

UP and Rajasthan are the top two milk producers and collectively account for roughly 30 per cent of the total annual milk output in the country. Other leading milk producing Indian states include Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.