Dairying is emerging as one of the viable ventures in agriculture. But the escalating cost of production has affected its sustainability. Scarcity of fodder and increase in price of cattle feed contribute to the steep hike in cost of milk production.
With a view to making dairying profitable, the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has now formed a ‘fodder crop development army’ to produce quality fodder grass at a reasonable price. The army will ensure sufficient manpower to grow quality green fodder across the State.
“Since feed price forms three-fourth of the cost of production of milk, availability of green fodder will reduce the cost of milk production considerably. Quality fodder grass will improve the quality and quantity of milk, thereby increasing the revenue of farmers,” says K.M. Shyam Mohan, course coordinatior, KAU.
