Knowledge, attitude, and practices of dairy farmers in Punjab, India

Authors

  • Kirtypal Singh Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, College of Animal Biotechnology, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. PhD Scholar. Mitacs Fellow and Post Doc fellow, University of Alberta, Canada.
  • Jasdeep Kaur Dhanoa Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, College of Animal Biotechnology, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Junior Research Fellow. Graduate Student, Pace University, USA.
  • Geetika Kaur Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, College of Animal Biotechnology, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Junior Research Fellow. Post Doctoral Fellow, Ohio State University, USA.
  • Randhir Singh Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, School of Veterinary Public Health, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Professor.
  • Ramneek Verma Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Department of Animal Disease Research Centre, College of Veterinary Science, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Professor.
  • Chandra Sekhar Mukhopadhyay Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, College of Animal Biotechnology, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Scientist.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35977/0104-1096.cct2024.v41.27708

Keywords:

dairy farmers, doubling farmers’ income, knowledge-attitude-practice, MILKFED, milk production, Punjab

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify the persisting challenges and
lucrative strengths of dairy farming in Punjab. The primary data were collected from farmers through interviews. The desensitized data were subjected to statistical analyses. The results revealed that the dairy farmers of the state prefer buffalo over cattle and that the preferred breeds of cattle and buffalo are the Holstein-Friesian crossbred (65.82%) and Murrah (81.42%), respectively. Livestock insurance is insignificant (0.32%) because of the lack of awareness of the farmers. In addition, the size of the grazing facility (13.39%) has been shrunken due to the cultivation of seasonal crops. More than half of the farmers (57.64%) sell milk to Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (MILKFED), a major milk cooperative. Furthermore, 56.22 and 19.84% of the farmers use animal excreta for manure and fuel purposes, respectively. Of the interviewed farmers, 69.45% specified that the major problem in dairy farming are lower profits due to the low milk price and high production costs. The main stumbling blocks for the dairy farming business in the state of Punjab are: inadequate facilities for dairy farmers, high cost of feed and fodder, low economic gains, loan outsourcing, and inadequate veterinary services. For the dairy industry to thrive in the state, the identified problems need to be addressed immediately by the government through farmer-oriented programs and policies to help make dairy farming a profitable business.

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Published

2024-08-07

How to Cite

Singh, K., Dhanoa, J. K., Kaur, G., Singh, R., Verma, R., & Mukhopadhyay, C. S. (2024). Knowledge, attitude, and practices of dairy farmers in Punjab, India. Science & Technology Journals, 41, e27708. https://doi.org/10.35977/0104-1096.cct2024.v41.27708

Issue

V.41, Jan./Dec., 2024: Publicação contínua em volume anual

Section

Artigos

License

After publication of the work, the Authors are authorized to non-exclusively distribute the version of the published work (for example: publish in an institutional repository, as a book chapter, create links on electronic pages, etc.), as long as the authorship and initial publication in this journal are mentioned.