Kerala Pursues Milk Self-Sufficiency by Strengthening Dairy Sector
Kerala’s government is working to increase domestic milk production while addressing difficulties reported in the state’s dairy sector. Its approach combines assistance for dairy farmers, support for cooperative societies and an expansion of fodder cultivation.
Bindu Krishna, the state’s Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry Minister, described the measures during a programme in Kollam on September 28. She said the government was taking steps to deal with challenges affecting dairy farmers and to reinforce the basis of milk production.
Farmers and cooperatives
Farmers are central to Kerala’s plan because they produce the milk collected by the sector. The government is seeking to improve the conditions faced by dairy households and to strengthen the cooperative network involved in collecting and marketing milk.
Krishna said dairy cooperatives and farmer support were being pursued together. Cooperative societies connect producers with the organised dairy market, and the government’s programme includes efforts to improve their functioning and strengthen farmer participation.
Fodder and digital administration
Fodder cultivation is another part of the state’s dairy strategy. Kerala is working to expand local fodder availability as it addresses the difficulties faced by farmers. Feed costs affect the economics of keeping dairy animals, while increased access to fodder forms part of the government’s effort to support production.
The Kollam programme also marked the state-level implementation of the Ksheerasree Unified Software Accounting Module. Developed by the Dairy Development Department, the system is intended to support accounting processes and the handling of financial information within the dairy development framework.
Krishna inaugurated the software module’s implementation and also opened the Chittumala Block Dairy Farmers’ Meet at Inchavila. The farmers’ meeting provided a local forum for engagement with dairy producers as the state pursued measures covering farmer support, cooperative institutions, fodder development and digital management.
