Minister for Dairy Development S.M. Nasar on April 5 announced a scheme to provide two lakh cows to farmers to strengthen the dairy sector in the State.
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Speaking on the demand for grants for the Dairy Development Department in the Assembly, he said Nabard’s NABSanrakshan would stand guarantee for the cattle, which would be procured through loans secured from nationalised and cooperative banks. Efforts would be taken to increase the number of buffaloes by encouraging breeding. There are 16 lakh milch animals under the cooperative fold at present, of which around 10 lakh yield milk.
An incentive of ₹1 per litre would be provided to milk-pouring farmers, who bring milk with 4.3% fat and 8.2% solids non-fat. This would be done through milk testing and spot acknowledgement to ensure quality of milk.
The Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation also plans to provide insurance coverage to around 5 lakh cows. At present, around 1.17 lakh cows are covered under the insurance scheme. “The aim is to provide coverage to as many cattle as possible since it has been a long-pending demand of producers,” said a source in Aavin.
It will set up a family security fund for all retired pensioners where after the death of the pensioner, the legal heir would get ₹50,000 as one-time assistance. As far as the 24,000-odd employees of cooperative societies are concerned, a corpus fund on the lines of the Anna Nala Nidhi would be created and their families would get assistance for education and marriage of their children. He said an Act to regulate the industry encompassing the cooperative dairy sector would be brought out soon. He also announced the formation of a policy for the dairy sector. Other States including Andhra Pradesh have such policies.