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

Resumen

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.