Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that strengthening animal husbandry and increasing cattle wealth will shore up the economy and add to the State’s GDP growth.
He was speaking after inaugurating a slew of programmes of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services at Uttanahalli on the outskirts of the city.
This included a training programme for Accredited Agents for Health and Extension of Livestock Production (A-HELP) which is a Central government initiative for extending cattle and livestock care in rural areas through the agents known as Pashu Sakhi. He also launched the 4th round of State-wide vaccination drive for cattle against foot-and-mouth disease and inaugurated a veterinary unit at Uttanahalli in Varuna constituency.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that it was the duty of the department to ensure genetic improvement of the local livestock breed so that the yield is more and farmers find it profitable. Referring to dairy as an economic activity, Mr. Siddaramaiah said though the State was the second highest milk producer in the country after Gujarat there was scope for additional production and procurement by the Karnataka Milk Federation.
Referring to outbreak of diseases like foot and mouth or lumpy skin, the Chief Minister pointed out that it leads to decline in milk yield and said that it was imperative to inoculate or vaccinate the cattle.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said farmers should take up diary farming as a secondary economic activity. “When milk production reached a glut during my first tenure as the CM, I launched Ksheera Bhagya for schoolchildren besides increasing the incentives to dairy farmers,” he said.
Referring to Pashu Sakhi, he said the objective was to strengthen and implement the various schemes of the government and act as a bridge between the farmers and the authorities. It is akin to ASHA workers in the health sector, said Mr. Siddaramaiah. While agriculture is the primary occupation of the farmers, dairy farming can be the secondary occupation and shore up their income. If the dairy farming is strengthened it will augment farmers income, boost the economy and add to the State’s GDP growth, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister recalled that he had held the portfolio of the Minister of Animal Husbandry in 1985 and was responsible for bringing the KMF and other dairies to function under the milk farmers cooperatives so as to strengthen the movement.
Minister for Animal Husbandry K. Venkatesh said the State has recruited 5,942 women as Pashu Sakhis and they will undergo a 20-day training programme on the kind of intervention they can undertake in providing care for livestock. He said Karnataka was also the first State in the country to take up the 4th round of vaccination against FMD in cattle. He said 290 mobile veterinary units are functioning in the State to extend veterinary care to rural areas and there was demand for more such units.
The Minister also referred to paucity of staff in the department and said that against the sanctioned strength of 18,000 there was a 50% vacancy.
Elected representatives from the region, senior officials of the Animal Husbandry department, Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra and other officials from the district administration and the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat were present.
