Farmers in Maharashtra may better their economic condition by increasing livestock productivity and revenue thanks to Britannia Industries’ Dairy Farmer Welfare Program. The Dairy Farmer Welfare Program was created with the goal of instilling sustainable agricultural practises in accordance with the government’s national purpose for sustainable agriculture, which aims to make agriculture more productive, profitable, and climate resilient.
The initiative increases dairy farmers’ capabilities by assisting them in increasing the production of their animals, resulting in increased revenue and improved nutritional security for milk consumers.
Farmers’ capacity to make decisions and connect their livestock output with market demand while ensuring quality and productivity has improved thanks to real-time information and customised expertise. This capacity-building initiative has grown to 54 milk collecting centres in Maharashtra, with a total volume of 53,000 litres per day and over 2,500 farmers benefiting.
Britannia Industries’ managing director, Varun Berry, stated, “Britannia shares the responsibility of creating value for our stakeholders as a responsible corporate citizen, and sustainable sourcing is a critical component of our pledge. The Dairy Farmer Welfare Program assists farmers in gaining knowledge and skills to unlock their potential by enabling higher productivity, better margins, and increased incomes while promoting best practises that are aligned with the government’s vision of promoting a sustainable agriculture sector.”
“Britannica will also execute numerous development initiatives to safeguard the prosperity and wellbeing of farmers while limiting their dangers,” he said.
The Dairy Farmer Welfare Program for milk procurement was inaugurated in 2017, focusing on three villages near Ranjangaon, Maharashtra, and engaging 120 farmers to acquire 2,100 litres of milk every day. Farmers experienced financial losses as a result of the prevalence of mastitis (bacterial infection), which resulted in a degradation of udder health, resulting in poor milk quality and production.
Farmers had to pay anything between Rs. 3,000 and 5,000 per cow on allopathic medicine. This was made worse by crowded cow housing, poor cattle nutrition, and inadequate pregnancy care, all of which resulted in lower milk yields and significant financial losses.
To teach farmers about the finest animal husbandry procedures, the business launched a broad farmer contact initiative. Farmers were taught about the advantages of loose cow housing, which allows animals to roam freely during the day and night except while milking.
The ability to wander freely and obtain adequate exercise helped to prevent and minimise lameness in cattle, as well as mastitis and enhanced yields. Farmers received training on mastitis prevention and early detection, as well as the use of ethno veterinary medications as low-cost alternatives to allopathic pharmaceuticals.
Farmers were also taught how to manufacture silage from resources including maize, sorghum, napier, bajra, and sugarcane tops. This brought the cost of silage production down to Rs 3.0-Rs 3.5 per kg, compared to Rs 6.5-Rs 7 per kg for external procurement. This has resulted in greater land utilisation for farmers, particularly those with smaller land holdings, as well as enhanced the yield of fodder crops and improved cow nutrition.
Cattle are dewormed and given calcium and mineral supplements as part of the programme. Farmers were trained about the best calf raising procedures under the auspices of Project Kamadhenu, which helped minimise the high rate of death and enabled calves to grow up to 800 grams per day, compared to 300 grams per day before the interventions. In addition, the heifer management programme aided in better reproductive management and improved the breeding herd’s performance.