Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd has urged the farmers coming under its area of operation to increase milk production in the region.
Speaking at a function to disburse loans to farmers to take up cow rearing here on Monday, Mr Raviraj Hegde, President of the union, said the total milk collection in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is around two lakh litres (lt) a day. The union is bringing an additional 1.5 lt of milk from the neighbouring districts.
To increase the production of milk, the union has launched several programmes. Thanking Syndicate Bank for extending financial assistance to farmers, he hoped that this move would help increase milk production in the region.
Fodder availability
One of the main problems faced by the farmers is the non-availability of adequate quantity of fodder in the region. To tide over this problem, the milk union is bringing nearly 1,000 tonnes of fodder from other districts this year. Already 80 tonnes has been disbursed, he said.
The union will also give Rs 2,000 for a cow, if a farmer is interested in bringing cows from other places, he said.
Mr Ravikumar Kakade, Managing Director of the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd, said Syndicate Bank has launched a special loan scheme for the members of milk producers' cooperative societies in the district. The bank received about 1,000 applications from five taluks of Dakshina Kannada district.
Phase I
In the first phase, 96 members in Mangalore taluk will get loans. The bank disbursed loans amounting to the tune of Rs 65 lakh to 20 members of different milk producers' cooperative societies on the occasion.
Bank loans
Mr J.S. Shenoy, Deputy General Manager of Syndicate Bank, Mangalore, urged the farmers to ensure prompt repayment of loans.
Thanking the bank for extending special loans for rearing cows to the members of milk producers' cooperative societies, Mr Narahari Prabhu, said farmers will never become defaulters. They want timely financial assistance for carrying out their activities, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Prasad Rao, Assistant General Manager of Nabard, explained various schemes of the Central Government in the area of animal husbandry.
vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in