
State MLA urges urgent modernisation of livestock health services to protect smallholder dairy incomes and rural livelihoods.
In Andhra Pradesh’s legislative assembly, Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy called on the state government to modernise veterinary hospitals and beef up dairy support infrastructure, highlighting the critical role of livestock health in sustaining rural incomes. She framed agriculture and dairying as “like two eyes of the rural economy,” with dairying providing a dependable daily income to millions of small and marginal farmers across the region — a message resonating with international dairy stakeholders mindful of animal health’s impact on productivity and sector stability.
Reddy praised progress in her constituency, where 235 cattle sheds were sanctioned under the current coalition government — 150 completed and 81 under construction — but said this progress is undermined by inadequate livestock health services. She pointed to dilapidated veterinary hospitals in villages such as Kodavalur, Chowkicherla, Minagallu and Mypadu, where leaky roofs and unsafe buildings compromise medicine storage, record keeping and treatment quality, especially during the monsoon season.
The MLA stressed that many centres lack basic infrastructure and sufficient staff, forcing farmers to seek costly private veterinarians or transport sick animals to distant facilities in Nellore. For dairy producers — particularly those reliant on just one cow or buffalo — delays in emergency care can mean lost milk yields and even loss of livestock, sharply reducing household resilience.
To address these gaps, Prashanthi Reddy urged immediate government funding for new hospital buildings, modern medical equipment, recruitment of trained veterinary doctors and support staff, and the establishment of 24-hour emergency mobile veterinary units. These measures aim to bolster animal health services and reduce dependence on informal care, a priority for dairy sectors facing production and biosecurity risks.
The appeal reflects a broader push within the state to strengthen animal husbandry services; Andhra Pradesh’s Agriculture Minister has also pledged to improve veterinary facilities, equipment and staffing under planned budgets and renovation schemes. Together, these policy moves could improve livestock health, milk quality and farmer livelihoods, and serve as a model for enhancing dairy sector infrastructure in other emerging markets.
Source: Deccan Chronicle — https://www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/andhra-pradesh/modernise-veterinary-hospitals-to-support-dairy-farmers-vemireddy-prashanthi-reddy-1939555
You can now read the most important #news on #eDairyNews #Whatsapp channels!!!
🇮🇳 eDairy News ÍNDIA: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaPidCcGpLHImBQk6x1F






