The Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union (DKMUL) will spend close to ₹3.3 crore towards extending insurance cover to milch cows of dairy farmers who are members of milk societies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts this financial year.
DKMUL is extending this facility for the third year to help dairy farmers come out of the loss suffered on account of sudden death of their cows for whatever reason.
Union president K.P. Sucharitha Shetty told The Hindu that DKMUL will bear 75% of the ₹4.5 crore premium this time, while farmers will bear the balance amount.
Many farmers are likely to face difficulties and suffer losses on account of the sudden death of milch cows. They will not be in a position to buy new cows due to financial constraints. Therefore, the union has decided to extend the insurance facility to help farmers to continue their avocation without any disturbance, said officials in the union.
While there are nearly two lakh cows in the twin districts, the insurance cover is being extended only to milch cows. When the union first started the scheme in 2020-21, about 26,000 cows were brought under insurance cover. The next year, nearly 48,000 cows came to be covered under the insurance scheme. This year, starting on June 1, DKMUL plans to cover at least 30,000 cows under the insurance scheme.
The union has partnered with National Insurance Company, Mangaluru, for providing the insurance cover since the inception of the scheme. In the last two years, claims worth over three times of the total premium paid were honoured by the insurance company, that too without any hassle, officials said.
While many farmers pay their premium part on their own, some healthy societies pay premium on behalf of their members thereby easing the burden of farmers.
The union has urged dairy farmers to get in touch with their milk societies to avail themselves of the insurance scheme that has already been launched for the current year.
