According to Dakshina Kannada Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (DKMUL), it had seen an increase of almost 10-15% in milk production and the same has now been reduced.
D Ashok, managing director, (DKMUL), said most of those working in MNCs, white or blue-collar jobs in other towns or states returned to their home towns during the lockdown period. “Many had no jobs to run their families, and others, working from home, to gain extra income ventured into dairy farming. Some continued dairy farming, which was already run by their families, and added more cattle. Those WFH started farming by purchasing cattle,” said Ashok.
“The show ran successfully for a year or two until all of them were called back by their companies for offline mode. This forced many to sell their cattle to others, and eventually resulted in a drop in milk production. Currently, 10-15% of the drop in milk production is due to this reason. They were forced to sell cattle because their elderly parents at home were not able to take care of them. This is what we learnt during our field visits,” he added.
To a query on why so many people ventured into dairy farming, Ashok said dairy farming gives instant income compared to other agricultural activities where one has to wait a minimum of six months for income generation. Some of those who ventured into dairy farming were able to sell close to 100 litres of milk every day.
According to DKMUL, close to 70,000 litres of additional milk production was recorded after covid. Those who got into dairy farming then have either sold cows to others or are not taking care of them well, which has resulted in a drop in milk production.
This year, there are other natural factors such as poor availability of fodder due to heavy rains, which has resulted in low milk production, said K P Sucharitha Shetty, president, DKMUL.
Shetty said about four months ago DKMUL received about 5.70 lakh litres of milk every day, which has now dropped to 4.70 lakh litres. Sources also point out that many who have been into dairy farming for several years have quit it once their children get into good jobs.
