Dairy Farming of local and indigenous breeds in MSME sector is a sustainable and profitable business, said Dr Mohan Shrigiriwar, the former Director Dairy Development Board, Govt of Maharashtra, while delivering the keynote address as Chief Guest, in front of a large gathering of Dairy Farmers, Agri-entrepreneurs, Milk processing industries, professional startups, Dairy & Food Technology Professionals, on Cownomics – II, a workshop organized by VIA Agro Food Processing and Rural Development Forum at VIA Auditorium, Nagpur. Careful selection and optimum consumption of green and dry fodder, natural minerals, local ambience, timely milking, hygienic processing, are the key factors to run a sustainable and profitable Dairy farm, said the popular Diary Farm Consultant. Value added products from Cow dung and Cow urine further enriches the profitability.
However, an integrated approach of mixed farming is essential for overall sustainability, said Dr Arun Sirothia, the Former Professor and Head, MAFSU, while speaking on role of indigenous breeds in rural food security, stressing the importance of Gaolao and other local breeds as suitable for Vidarbha region. Animal husbandry and agriculture are synergistically involved and are the important source of income and employment in rural areas. The dairy business provides security to farmers, especially when agriculture fails. Dairy farming is essential to millions of poor households across the country not only as a source of income but also as a major source of protein, supplementary nutrition, fertilizer, fuel and lots of goodwill.
Value addition in rural dairy business in terms of better packaging, Processing of Milk & Milk Products including summer drinks like chhas, cow dung briquettes and Agarbatti mix are the need of the hour for secondary income generation said Abhitabh Meshram, the industrial adviser while addressing the Technical session during the workshop. During general public interaction some farmers expressed earning upto Rs 1 Lakh per month with just 10 cows.
The commercial and industrial viability of power generation from cow dung was highlighted by Ravi Raut, CEO of Nagpur based Energy Engineering setup. Starting with around 10 cows, power generation is possible, with many established units in and around Nagpur, said Raut.
After lighting the traditional lamps by the invited guests and VIA Team, the program was formally opened by Om Jajodia, Chairman of VIA Agro Forum and addressed by R B Goenka, Mentor.
The program was conducted by the convenor, Shachi Mallick, Dr Kirty Sirothia and Kapil Charan Sahoo. Kiran Gokhale proposed the vote of thanks.
Prominently present in the workshop were Dr P Potbhare, Laxmikant Padole, Aniruddha Ansingkar, Dr Rina Saha, Shipra Dixit, Sanjay Sinha, Pradeep Raut, Subhas Wanjari etc.
