Fodder farm to increse profit

ALTERNATIVE: A fodder unit at the Card-KVK farm in Pathanamthitta district.

Farmers are earning Rs. 15,000 as net profit annually by selling the grass

In Kerala, even though 60 per cent of the milk requirement is met by procurement from other states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, cattle rearing is fast declining due to high cost of production, labour shortage and shrinking land.

Heavy dependence on other states for raw materials pushes up the cost of concentrate feeds.

“Dry straw (hay) used to feed cattle has become scarce due to decline in area under rice cultivation. It becomes a dire necessity for dairy farmers to start growing green fodder (grass) if they desire to run their unit profitably,” says Dr.S. Prabhu Kumar, Zonal Project Director, ICAR, Zonal Project Directorate, Bangalore.

Grow own fodder

And he adds that mere distribution of milch animals by the Government is of no use to farmers.

Along with the animals they must be also made aware of the importance of growing their own fodder for the animals.

Buying several commercial feeds available in the markets today is not profitable for a small farmer and is sure to burn a hole in their pocket, according to him.

Take the case of the Koipuram Milk society established on the banks of river Pampa nearly 20 years back by one Mr. Gopalakrishnan Nair to prevent dairy farmers from being exploited by middlemen who were not providing timely price for the milk supplied.

During peak production time farmers used to get only Rs.2.40 per litre of milk while the market price was Rs. 6 per litre.

The society was initially started with 400 members and 1,500 litres of milk was sent daily to the milk marketing federation of Kerala for further processing and sales. The price was fixed by the society.

Cultivated acreage

Since 1995 the society encouraged fodder production for its members and introduced different fodder grasses like Congo Signal, Gunnie grass, Hybrid Napier like CO1, CO2 and CO3 in the area. By 2009, 150 hectares in the region were brought under different types of fodder cultivation.

“We brought four cuttings of CO4 Hybrid Napier grass from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University Coimbatore, and multiplied it in our KVK farm.

“Today our farmers are selling this fodder to several private farms in Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam and Idukki Districts. On an average 800-1,200 Kg of green fodder is being sold today by the farmers of this society,” says Dr. C. P. Robert, Programme Co-ordinator, CARD-KVK (Christian agency for rural development- Krishi Vigyan Kendra), Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.

CARD KVK has been in the forefront of fodder promotion in the Pathanamthitta district and has been conducting many trials to identify suitable forage varieties for the district.

Dairy farmers are given training on scientific fodder management practices as and when the need arises.

Feeding ratio

“Feeding one bundle (15Kg) of CO4 grass has been found to increase milk yield by almost 200 ml per cow. Seeing this superior growth characteristic, farmers are replanting CO4 variety today and it has almost replaced the previous CO3 variety,” says Dr.Robert. Till date several lakh cuttings of this grass have been sold to different agriculture project areas in Kerala.

Marketing

Farmers are selling this fodder for Rs1.30 a kg and are able to harvest 7-8 cuttings a year (the cuttings may vary with the availability of water). Many are able to get an average yield of 270 tonnes per hectare and earn Rs. 15,000 as net profit annually.

The society also generates 300 days of employment through this activity a year, according to Dr. Robert.

For more details contact Dr. C. P. Robert, Programme Co-ordinator, CARD-Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Pathanamthitta District, Kolabhagam Post Office, Tiruvalla(Via), Pathanamthitta Dist, Kerala.

 email: cardkvk@yahoo.com, Phones:0469- 2662094 and 2661821, mobile:09447139300.

 Article Courtesy :

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article3551839.ece

http://www.sab.ac.lk/journal_agri/papers/agri_vol2_1_2006/agri_vol2_1_2006_article3.pdf

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/agriculture/story-276425.html

Goat Farmers in India United to reap the benefits

Members of the Chinnamanali Integrated Farmers Club at the raised goat shed owned by one of its member. Photo: M.K. Ananth

TALES FROM THE HINTERLAND Chinnamanali ryots take up integrated farming to enhance livelihood

“I was frustrated with the poor returns agriculture fetched me over the last 40 years…in fact a question mark loomed over my future as a farmer,” recalled S. Lakshmanan, a sexagenarian farmer in Chinnamanali near Elachipalayam.

It was at this low point that he decided to give integrated farming a try and joined the ‘Chinnamanali Integrated Farmers Club’ (CIFC) a few months ago. And, as it turned out, it was well worth the try as he has been able to turn around agricultural fortunes with the support of fellow members.

In Namakkal, one of the driest districts in Tamil Nadu where ryots are downbeat over the poor yield in their fields due to poor rainfall and other farm related issues, the CIFC formed by a group of 17 farmers, including six women, is making a difference to the lives of despairing farmers.

Farmer-members of this club —the first of its kind in the State to be established with the support of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) —have demonstrated the benefits of working shoulder-to-shoulder and of adopting an integrated approach to agriculture.

“Labour shortage and poor prices for the produce are the other main areas of concern for farmers like me who know no other means of livelihood. I have joined this club as a small integrated farmer and now I am getting good returns with a few milch cows and goats, with technical support from other member farmers. I will soon expand to other livestock,” says another member K. Vijayalakshmi (35).

Her club compatriot P. Alagesan attributed the success of this small group to team spirit. “We don’t face labour shortage as we work in the farms and fields of other members – along with our families. We have restored the tradition of farmers lending a helping hand to each other in difficult times,” he said.

The CIFC members were inspired by the example set by their pro-active president S. Thiyagarajan, a B. Pharm graduate, who turned away from a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry to embrace agriculture in 2007 by setting up a piggery. Also, he has now got a goat shed with about 100 animals, cows and buffalos, carp fish pond, beehives, few rabbits, egg laying and desi chicken.

And, consider the fact that he was able to make a net profit of about Rs.7 lakh a year without big investments. “Starting the club has been mutually beneficial to all farmers. Most of them have a couple of livestock varieties and are expanding on witnessing the successful outcomes in other members’ farms,” said Mr. Thiyagarajan.

There are also members who don’t have livestock but have established feeder chains to provide fodder to the cattle, he said.

The CIFC has also brought in standard operating procedures to farming. “Farmers now have a breakdown of their daily, weekly, monthly and annual expenses and are getting to learn how to meet the expenditure through an integrated approach,” Mr. Alagesan said.

For instance, farmers are mentored to use the income generated from sale of milk for their daily expenses, revenue from chicken for weekly expenses and incomes from other livestock for their other major investments and expenses.

The CIFC has also made marketing more viable as these small farmers are able to pool their yields and undertake bulk orders for goats, pigs and chicken. “We learnt that selling products in the retail yields more returns than selling it to traders, so we have set our eyes on making value-added livestock products and selling them on our own,” he said.

According to B. Mohan, Head and Programme Coordinator of the KVK in Namakkal, the CIFC has been linked up with agriculture and related departments such as agricultural engineering, horticulture and animal husbandry besides primary cooperative and nationalised banks from whom the members get guidance from time to time for betterment.