Surkhet. The Karnali state government’s ‘Milk Incentive Subsidy’ program has become effective lately. Milk producing farmers of Karnali have benefited from the programme.
Dammar KC, 51, of Birendranagar Municipality-12, Khoria has benefited from the programme. KC, who has been interested in farming and rearing cows and buffaloes since childhood, said that he has been adopting agriculture profession continuously for the last 30 years.
There are currently three milk buffaloes in KC’s shed. Three buffaloes produce 40 litres of milk daily. “Earlier, I used to rear up to eight buffaloes, but now I have reduced the number of buffaloes due to shortage of workers and my inability to do so,” kc said, “But I am still selling 40 liters of milk daily.” According to him, 40 liters of milk is taken to the collection center every day in the morning and evening.
According to him, 40 litres of milk earns Rs 78,000 per month. Tanuja Dairy Industry in Birendranagar-8 collects and sells milk produced by farmers of Birendranagar-12 and 13 in the village itself. The dairy industry currently gives Rs 65 per litre to the farmers.
Kc received the grant amount provided by the government since fiscal year 2078/79 BS only from 2079/80 BS. KC received Rs 30,000 for the first time and Rs 16,000 for the second time. Kc said that 30,775 grants will come in the current fiscal year 2081/82.
The ‘Milk Incentive Grant’ programme launched by the Karnali state government to provide relief to farmers dedicated to agriculture has become a source of relief for farmers like KC. KC said the government should move ahead more plannedly to encourage the agriculture sector. “Millions of youths are unemployed in the country, if the government makes agriculture a means of employment, the youth going abroad can be stopped, self-employment opportunities are in agriculture, but for that facilitation and investment is necessary,” he said. ’
Similarly, Deepa Bhattarai, 45, of Birendranagar-12 has also benefited from the ‘Milk Incentive Grant’ program. Having spent most of her life in agriculture and animal husbandry, she has been cultivating buffaloes, cows, goats, and for the past 20 years. She said, “I was already hoping for some help from the government, but now farmers like me have finally realised that they have got relief from the government.” ’
She is now rearing two milk buffaloes. She said that she has been selling 18 liters of milk twice in the morning and evening. “Since the milk collection centre is located in the village, there is no need to go far to sell milk and time has been saved,” she said. Currently, she earns Rs 35,000 per month from the sale of milk. She said that although Rs 5,000 is spent on buffalo feed, she saves Rs 30,000 per month.
The subsidy programme provided by the state government has infused new energy into the lives of farmers like him. “I got Rs 2,700 for the first time, Rs 11,000 for the second time and Rs 15,000 now. According to him, the process of grant is easy. “We don’t have to face the hassle of online forms and documents as the milk collection centre provides all the procedures together,” she said.
This subsidy program distributes subsidy on the basis of milk sales up to seven months by keeping records at the dairy and collection centers selling milk in the name of farmers. Since the fiscal year 2078/79 BS, the state government has been depositing money directly in the farmers’ accounts to increase milk production and encourage farmers.
According to the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, the government has been providing 10 subsidy per liter in mountainous districts and 5 per liter in the remaining districts to encourage milk producing farmers. The state government has been providing 10 subsidy per litre to farmers of Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Jumla and Kalikot and five per litre to farmers of Surkhet, Dailekh, Salyan, Jajarkot and Rukum West.
Tara Baral, information officer at the Ministry, said that milk production has been increasing in recent times and farmers are also benefiting from this program. According to him, 1,500 milk producing farmers were benefited in the fiscal year 2078/79 BS. He said rs 2.827 million was paid for 282,700 litres of milk.
Similarly, 3,053 farmers have been benefited in the fiscal year 2079/80 BS. Around 2,354,568 litres of milk was subsidized. In the fiscal year 2080/81, 3,776 farmers were benefited. A total of 3,791,429 litres of milk was produced in that fiscal year.
The province government has allocated Rs 12.7 million for the current fiscal year 2081/82 BS. Information Officer Baral informed that 1,065 farmers have been benefited in the current fiscal year. According to him, rs 1,084,141 has been paid so far and payments are being made to the remaining farmers.
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