Dr Elizabeth Yhome Outlines Nagaland’s Dairy Route to Self-Reliance
Dr Elizabeth Yhome, project director at the Nagaland State Dairy Co-operative Federation (NSDCF) in Kohima, has described commercial dairy farming as an underused economic asset in Nagaland. Writing for The Morung Express, she linked organised dairying with rural wealth creation, regional employment and local access to milk and processed dairy products.
The proposal extends beyond household milk production. Cattle rearing also supplies dung and urine that can be used as natural fertilisers in organic farming, according to Dr Yhome. The NSDCF’s approach therefore includes both dairy output and the use of livestock by-products in agricultural production.
Dr Yhome identified the absentee-owner model as a structural weakness in the state’s dairy sector. Farms often rely on workers recruited from outside Nagaland for herd care, milking and other daily tasks. Those external labour networks also frequently manage milk distribution, retail pricing and final marketing, leaving local farm owners with limited influence over the prices received by producers.
The NSDCF project director called on Naga entrepreneurs to run commercial farms directly. The operating model includes owner supervision of stable hygiene, selective breeding, scientifically formulated feed, automated milking and sales made directly to consumers. The federation’s proposal also refers to local animal-feed mixing units, regional processing-equipment demand and rural micro-enterprises linked to dairy production.
For the cooperative structure, Dr Yhome cited Amul, operated through the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, and Mother Dairy in Delhi as examples from India. She said Nagaland could use the NSDCF to establish primary village-level dairy cooperative societies, or VDCS. These organisations would combine output from small producers, use fat testing to determine milk prices, and develop regional dairy brands.
The proposed cooperatives would also pool production at a scale suited to industrial processing. The plan is presented as part of efforts by north-eastern states to reduce dependence on packaged dairy products brought in from elsewhere. It places local producers, the NSDCF and village-level cooperative societies at the centre of a dairy network intended to retain more economic value in Nagaland.
