With milk production in Odisha remaining substantially lesser than the per head milk requirement, the State Government has resolved to double the production in the next five years to match the demand.
”While the per capita requirement is 300 millilitres of milk per day, about 160 millilitres of milk is being produced in our State whereas the State produces around 72 lakh litres of milk per day,” said an official on Tuesday.
The Government has newly launched ‘Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana’ to prioritise the dairying and targets to double the milk production in the State in the next 5 years, said Gokulananda Mallick, Minister, Fisheries and Animal Resource Development, while speaking at a programme here to mark National Milk Day.
To promote the dairy sector, financial assistance of up to Rs one crore is being provided for setting up dairy units and milk processing plants under Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyoga Yojana, he said.
Expressing the Government’s resolve to accord priority steps to enhance milk production, he said a slew of measures have been undertaken to take care of the cattle farmers.
To provide livestock healthcare services in rural areas, 314 Mobile Veterinary Units are functioning in the State. Artificial insemination is being done through sex sorted semen in order to make dairying more profitable. Dairy farmers are also being provided assistance for fodder cultivation, vaccination and deworming of animals, he said.
As many as 25 successful dairy farmers and entrepreneurs were felicitated on the occasion. A technical session dwelt on the steps to increase milk production, governmental interventions in the dairy sector and livestock healthcare services.