Punjab to set up modern dairy farms in each block

Mohali, Nov 20 (UNI) The Punjab government will set up an ultra-modern cooperative dairy in each block having high quality milch cattle, veterinary services and excellent marketing network.

Presiding over a state level valedictory function of 54th National Cooperative Week here, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said these modern dairy farms would help promote dairy farming in the state.

As conventional agriculture based on wheat-paddy was no longer remunerative, the government was laying emphasis on dairy farming, fisheries, poultry and bee keeping, he added.

Mr Badal said the quality of breed of cows and buffalos should be considerably improved to increase milk production in the state through artificial insemination techniques. He pointed out that milk yield of buffalos had drastically gone down as compared to the yield of Neeli and Murrah breeds which was around 20 to 22 kg.

He emphasised the need to produce better quality of milch cattle and asked the state Animal Husbandry Department to tie up with Guru Angad Dev University of Veterinary Sciences to undertake extensive research in this field. He said Punjab had a tremendous potential to increase the milk production which must be taped to supply milk to the milk plants in the state which were now functioning at a mere 30 per cent capacity.

Citing the example of Netherlands and Israel, Mr Badal said these two countries had made spectacular progress in the field of dairy farming. He said Punjab should also replicate the techniques and methods adopted by the dairy farmers of these countries to enhance milk production.

He said the state government could send a team of dairy farmers and veterinarians to these countries to study the current trends of development and research in the dairy sector.

UNI