Nothing new in the increasing interest of farmers in dairy farming in Jammu & Kashmir but what makes it new is the government support for investment in the diary sector. Though many diary cooperatives have been established in Jammu & Kashmir in recent years but in the absence of public awareness about the government support to dairy cooperatives the diary sector is not expanding with the intensity it could have been developed through public awareness in recent years. The farmers interested in diary sector don’t just want financial support from the government but are more concerned about the implementation of a marketing strategy. Since 80% of the population lives in villages and most of the local livelihood opportunities are generated in agriculture and animal husbandry sectors, the animal husbandry should have been made as good a priority sector as are agriculture and horticulture sectors in Jammu & Kashmir. The increasing gapes between the production and consumption of milk could not be reduced in recent years due to lack of infrastructure required for development of diary projects in Jammu & Kashmir. Unless and until the Animal Husbandry Department does not carry out an awareness campaign about both the entrepreneurship culture and as well as infrastructure development of diary projects the increasing gapes between the consumption and production of all dairy products can’t be reduced. Livelihood opportunities in dairy sector will most likely change the lives of thousands of entrepreneurs if the interest of farmers in dairy sector is converted into their interest in entrepreneurship in dairy sector. Experts believe that sky is the limit for profitability if dairy development schemes are focused on small dairy farms, rearing of heifer calves, vermi compost units, purchase of milking machines, purchase of dairy processing equipments, dairy product transformation, cold storage facilities, private veterinary clinics and dairy marketing outlets.
The dairy sector is challenging because of the non-stop rise in both demand and supply of not only milk but also of allied products like butter and ghee and as such the scope for growth and expansion of dairy sector is not only unending but also challenging.
The businesses of dairy projects is not confined to only milk production but it can be also be expanded to other allied products like butter and ghee for which farmers can also avail benefits of Government’s Parwaz scheme . By all standards of understandabilities the Dairy farming is more satisfying and fulfilling than the agriculture and horticulture farming but it is also a fact that dairy farming is more challenging than any other activity in the farming sector. What makes the dairy farming more satisfying and fulfilling than any other activity of the agriculture sector is it’s non stop rise in demand and supply. The dairy sector is challenging because of the non-stop rise in both demand and supply of not only milk but also of allied products like butter and ghee and as such the scope for growth and expansion of dairy sector is not only unending but also challenging.
