Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchurani said here on Monday that the government would take efforts to conserve ethnic breeds of cows.
Speaking after inaugurating the distribution of Ayurveda veterinary medicines launched by Milma, she said that local breeds such as Kasaragod dwarf and Vechur cow would be protected.
She said that Milma’s veterinary medicines would help ensure better health for the cattle at low cost and milk free of antibiotics.
After Punjab, Kerala enjoys the second position in milk production in the country. The Minister said that the government was giving dairy farmers having Kisan credit card an aid of ₹20,000 for each cow at 4% interest. She exhorted the farmers to adopt low-cost fodder such as green corn sailage.
Doctors’ availability
Ms. Chinchurani said that the availability of doctors would be ensured in all veterinary centres at night. Block-level vehicles would be arranged for their travel needs. She said the tele-ambulance system introduced in the district would be extended to other districts soon.
Milma launched eight Ayurveda medicines meant for various diseases of the cattle, including mastitis or inflammation of cattle breasts. The other medicines were for fever, diarrhoea, wounds, skin diseases, fleas, indigestion and enhancement of milk production.
“Allopathic treatment of mastitis was expensive for the farmer. Use of Ayurveda medicines will reduce the cost of treatment greatly, and thus help the dairy farmer reduce the cost of milk production,” said Milma chairman K.S. Mani who presided over the function.
The Malabar Rural Development Foundation (MRDF), which spearheads the Milma union activities in Malabar, will be responsible for the distribution of the Milma-branded medicines developed with the support of the Kerala Ayurvedic Cooperative Society (KACS).
The Minister also released report of a comprehensive survey conducted on one-lakh dairy farmers of Malabar titled “An investigation on the socio-economic profile of dairy farmers of Malabar region.” The study was conducted with the support of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University from 2018-19.
A. Prabhakaran, MLA, distributed the insurance aid for dairy farmers. Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Vice Chancellor M.R. Ravindranath felicitated the veterinary doctors who helped develop the Ayurveda medicines. University registrar P. Sudheer Babu, National Ayush Mission director D. Sajit Babu, and Malabar Milma managing director P. Murali gave away various aids and awards.
Dairy Development Department deputy director J.S. Jayasudheesh, and KACS president M.M. Sanil Kumar spoke.
