How about a cow

When little Jayasree awoke to a persistent scream in her garden, she saw her worried family huddled around the cow in their enclosure that was about to give birth. The youngster was first a little alarmed, but her mother reassured her that everything would be well. She informed her, “You will soon have a Nandini to play with.” Nandini was her playmate after that. She even had the courage to give her a hug and kiss as she was being fed and cleaned.

 

She kept two cows in a tiny cage in her garden since she was nostalgic for her youth. She carried out this in addition to her teaching duties.

“I provide my family with enough milk.” However, many encouraged me to pursue it as a full-time career after seeing me handle the cows. However, it would entail a ton of paperwork in addition to the struggle to get licenses, feed, and insurance. There is an infinite list. I am content with my modest farm now,” she declares, presumably having taken note of the endeavors that had to be abandoned or scaled back because of the current situation.

A notable enterprise a decade ago was the farm in Angamaly, which was operated by Vikraman Nair, a former employee of KSRTC. He had started it as a part-time source of extra money, with pension and other benefits arriving intermittently.

The business was successful up to Covid. After that, we were unable to continue, so we had to wrap it up. The assistance of the government is meager at best. With the high cost of feed (a 50kg bag of KS Supreme cow feed costs Rs1,500), it is insufficient to keep the farms operating. We had to put an end to our farm’s fantasy run because insurance regulations were not farmer-friendly and milk prices weren’t increasing at a rate that kept up with the costs of hiring labor. Thus, we now only need two cows to meet our needs and our little supply of curd,” explains Anisha Soman, the daughter-in-law of Vikraman Nair.

She claims that “many such small farms have wound up.” But there are also a lot of others that have opened up, but they are either managed by teams or by individuals with backup resources.

This joint enterprise, called Green to White farm in Vellayani, was started by a group of eleven individuals. The majority of the team members work in different industries, thus their time on the farm serves as a means for them to “destress” and indulge their love of animals. “We intended to help our buddy who went into dairy farming after quitting his job at IndusInd Bank. His business in Sreekaryam had encountered difficulties, and while we were assisting him, we acquired a farm in Vellayani owned by a lady who was having problems with the local officials. Six months ago, we registered it as a farmer-producer corporation. As of right now, the farm has 38 cows, according to farm partner Prakas G R.

Dairy farmers assert that one of the safest ways to move such endeavors ahead is via a farmer-producer business. They blame the government’s lack of assistance for the rise in business closures. One farmer in Vellayani, for instance, had a dairy unit with ten cows. His neighbor has complained about a “foul” stench and other polluting issues, so he is winding it up immediately. After finding no support to assist him get through the situation, the farmer has finally made the decision to give up.

The pollution certificate is required in order to renew a license. However, in order for the farm to operate, they sometimes place unreasonable requirements on it, such as requiring three to four acres without a house nearby. In the metropolis, these locations are uncommon,” adds Prakash.

The oppressive red tape involved in completing paperwork, obtaining subsidies, or simply complying with “unfriendly” insurance regulations is another factor. “We will be months behind schedule with all of them. Subsidies are then scarce and provided as loans for the purchase of cows. However, we would need to spend a good Rs 4 to Rs 5 lakh setting up the infrastructure (the pen, the water supply and drainage system, the waste disposal, etc.) ourselves. In terms of insurance, livestock must be covered for a premium of between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 4,000, and claims may only be made in the event that the animals pass away. Therefore, with the money we receive from dairy sales, we chose not to go for it and handle things on our own,” explains Sheeba S, who manages a unit with around 15 cows.

She now rises daily at 3.30 a.m. to clean the enclosure and get the animals ready for milking. “We are unable to hire someone. The cost would be between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 if we did it. I therefore work with my husband and kid, doing anything I can, from 3.30 am to 7 pm, with intervals for meals and showers. It’s important to handle the revenue from this carefully. She said, “I provide milk cooperative groups as well as door-to-door.

The majority of farmers assert that the supply to milk cooperatives alone will not meet their needs. “In exchange for the Rs 43 they provide us, we could get feed, but the feed won’t produce a high yield for us. Tamil Nadu provides us with quality food, but this requires more investment. According to Jayasree, we often get paid between Rs 43 and Rs 48 for supplies to cooperative societies and around Rs 60 for supplies outside.

On the other hand, the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) asserts that it offers a number of programs that would assist farmers in better organizing their operations. According to an LMTC official, the training programs that the organization has developed for dairy farmers around the state assist them better grasp the process of caring for cattle and guarantee a higher return on investment.

“Under a Union government scheme called ‘A Help,’ a separate agency is being established wherein Kudumbasree members will receive training to assume the role of an intermediary between the department and the dairy units,” she explains.

Additionally, marginal farmers are now urged and helped to increase their unit size to at least 10 cows, according to Dr. Gopakumar T., the AHD Public Relations Officer.

They would benefit from increased production, which would increase yield and profit. According to the 2019 census, there were 13 lakh cattle in the state. There will be more in the census of 2024, with each unit expanding.

The AHD representatives, however, did not specify how the insurance facilities would be written to satisfy the needs of farmers with more than ten cows. The insurance provided to each panchayat only covers 40–50 cows. It is important to consider how the insurance need will be fulfilled.

“We farmers are very optimistic, and maybe this will help the state as a whole. However, in such scenario, we would put in more effort than the government does, according to Lakshman C. Nair, the owner of the Dairy King farm in Thiruvananthapuram’s Puliyarakkonam. The former programmer who is now a farmer serves upscale clients and shops in the city and enjoys every aspect of his rural surroundings and farm life.

With a charming grin, he explains, “I take care of my cattle, play them music, and keep them happy so they give me the best yield.”