After tasting success in Punjab, the Progressive Dairy Farmer—an association of farmers with about 6,000 members—is planning to promote commercial dairy farming in other states. Taking a step forward in this direction, the association has formed the All India Progressive Dairy Farmers Association and has plans to provide dairy farmers technical know-how in setting up commercial dairy and other relevant information.
It is worth noting that with 6,000 odd commercial dairy farms, Punjab is fast emerging as a model for other states. Speaking to Business Standard, Dr Jaswinder Singh Bhatti, technical coordinator, Progressive Dairy Farmers Association, said, “ Progressive dairy farming in Punjab is a huge success and a role model for other states. So, the association is planning to replicate the success in other states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujrat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. We will provide technological assistance and other technical know-how to the dairy farmers to take this activity on commercial scale.”
“We have also formed an association called All India Progressive Dairy Farmers Association to address the issues related to dairy farming. There are certain things that comes under the purview of the Centre, so in order to take up the issue related to dairy farming on an all India basis and to create a peer pressure group, we have constituted the association,” Bhatti added.
It is pertinent to mention here that overall there are 6,000 progressive dairy farmers in Punjab and the state boasts of the highest number of such type of farmers across India with average size of farm varies from 30-500 animals. Also, the daily production of milk by these farms is about 15-16 lakh litres. Seeing the success of the farmers it seems that the state is heralding a second white revolution in the country.
According to Bhatti, young farmers with an entrepreneurial streak are leaving behind farming on small holding as return is meager.
He mentioned that commercial dairy farming can be done even on small holdings like four to five acres by keeping high-yielding cross-bred cows and the progressive dairy farmers association assist them in getting latest technologies and adopting best practices which is normally deployed in European countries.
He added further, “The Association is aggressively working for the benefit of the farmers and actively engaged in transfer of knowledge to all new entrants to ensure that each dairy farmer get very good return. As a result, a significant proportion of the dairy farms are state-of-the-art and have automated machines like machine milking, open and well-ventilated sheds especially constructed to suit the needs of cross-bred cows, provision for silage making.”
