Uttarakhand launches dairy initiative for 200,000 farmers
The Uttarakhand government has drawn up an action plan to strengthen dairy-based livelihoods across the state. The programme is designed to improve milk productivity, expand market access and increase the resources available to small and marginal dairy farmers.
Financial support will come from the Gates Foundation, while GDI Partners will provide advisory assistance. The plan was discussed at a government-level meeting chaired by Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, secretary of Uttarakhand’s Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department.
Breeding, feed and animal health
A central part of the initiative is the improvement of livestock productivity. Measures listed in the plan include artificial insemination, embryo transfer and other breeding practices intended to support more productive dairy herds. The programme also includes animal-selection, nutrition and veterinary support as part of its breeding approach.
The government plans to promote the preparation of balanced animal feed and establish mini feed mills to make suitable feed more available locally. Proposed technology-based services include animal-health advisories, pregnancy-testing kits and low-cost artificial insemination. The plan also identifies timely pregnancy diagnosis and accessible reproductive services as tools for managing breeding schedules and supporting livestock care.
Cooperatives and processing
The initiative will seek to strengthen dairy cooperative societies and expand milk-collection and processing networks. These arrangements are intended to connect village producers with organised dairy markets and to improve links between farmers, processors and buyers. The plan covers access to markets within India and abroad.
Implementation will involve animal-husbandry and dairy-development institutions alongside development partners. Participants at the action-plan meeting included Animal Husbandry Director Dr. Uday Shankar, Dairy Development Director Ela Giri, Livestock Development Board chief executive Dr. Rakesh Singh Negi, and Gates Foundation representatives Nidhi Jain and Priyanka Kakadu.
The programme’s stated areas of work include breeding, feed, veterinary care, reproductive technology, cooperative infrastructure and dairy processing. The action plan also identifies trained personnel, service delivery, quality control, transport infrastructure and milk buyers as requirements for putting the measures into practice. Its target is more than 200,000 dairy farmers across Uttarakhand.
