Anantnag’s average daily milk production soars to 7.29 lakh litres

Anantnag, Nov 29: In the southern part of Kashmir, Anantnag district is producing a lot more milk these days – a whopping 7.29 lakhs liters every day. This big increase shows how much they’re focusing on production of milk and how important it is for their dairy business.
According to the Department of Animal Husbandry Anantnag, the district has produced 266.35 thousand tons of milk from April 2022 to March 2023 which has increased in comparison to the previous year which was 226 thousand tons of milk.
An official said, the district boasts a cattle population of around 1.5 lakhs, which is increasing due to government schemes. People are eager to adopt animal husbandry units to enhance the economic viability of livestock farming and create job opportunities for others.
The Integrated Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS) offers a 50 percent subsidy for acquiring units comprising of two cows. Each person can avail up to 10 units, which is the set limit.
Dr Javed Mohi ud din Zargar, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer (CAHO), Anantnag said that approximately 1200 high yielding cows of superior genetic merit have been inducted in district Anantnag since the inception of the scheme. The department has disbursed subsidies totaling Rs 4.6 crores for schemes like IDDS.
“People typically invest in cows yielding around 15-20 liters of milk per day, providing them with essential earnings and supporting unemployed individuals,” he said.
Notably, the department is supporting various initiatives such as establishing dairy units, milk collection and processing units, market infrastructure like milk ATMs, transportation systems for milk and milk byproducts, and implementing environmental management practices in dairy farms.