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JOURNEY FROM SUBSISTENCE TO COMMERCIAL DAIRY FARM IN NEPAL

Presenter

Riddhi Shrestha

Roll No.: 25

B.V.Sc. & A.H., 8th SEM, IAAS, Rampur, Chitwan

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ABSTRACT 

Dairy farming is the major livestock component in Nepal. The major components of livestock GDP are milk and milk products from buffalo and cattle (32.7% and 24.7% respectively). At present, the total annual milk production of Nepal is just over one million tons (70% from buffalo and 30% from cattle). The average growth rate of milk production from 1985 to 1995 was 2.4% and the population growth rate 2.9%. There are about 7 million cattle and 3.5 million buffalo in the country. The total population of cattle in the country increased from about 6.5 million in 1991/92 to about 7 million in 1998/99 with an average annual growth rate of just over 1%; and the buffalo population from about 3.3 million in 1991/92 to about 3.5 million in 1998/99, with an average annual growth rate of about 0.6%. Development of several dozen dairy co-operatives and big dairy firms such as Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), Chitwan Milk (Ltd), and Sujal Dairy in recent years is certainly appreciable. However, despite these developments, due to population increase, daily per capita milk production in Nepal is stagnant for the last 30 years, and is about 148 ml of fresh milk per capita per day, which is equivalent to a half-a-cup of tea. It is a well-known fact that Nepal frequently depends on India to fulfill its deficit on domestic fresh milk supply.  Key words: Subsistence dairy farm, Commercial dairy farm, Nepal

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Brief history of development of dairy farming in Nepal

Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana initiated dairy development activity with the importation of European cattle from the UK in 1917. The first Livestock Development Farm was established in the Livestock Improvement Section under the Department of Agriculture in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu.

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Main development stages in Dairy Farming

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HMG established two dairy cattle farms, one in Jiri-Khimti and

the second at Khumaltar and three buffalo farms in

Tarahara, Rampur and

Pokhara. .

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A number of improved buffaloes, especially Murrah and Murrah x local crosses, and cattle mainly Jersey, Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss and Ayrshire crosses, have

been importedfrom India, New Zealand and other

countries

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Though the Milch buffalo population is barely higher than that of Milch cows, their volume of milk is more than double .

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Artificial insemination servicesfor cows and buffalo have been widened in 46 districts to cover 12.26 percent of breeding cows

and buffaloes(ABD, 1996).

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Yak and chauries are raised exclusively on grazing in the mountains, with herds moving up and down according to the season.

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Status of Milch animals in Nepal according to Ministry of Agriculture 1999

Cow Buffalo0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Milch animals in 3 Geographical region of Nepal

Mountain HillyTarai

Milch animals

No.

of a

nim

als

in 1

000

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Milk production of Nepal according to Ministry of Agriculture,1999

Cow Buffalo0

50100150200250300350400450500

Milk production in 3 Geographical region in Nepal

MountainHillyTerai

Milch animals

Milk

pro

ducti

on in

100

0 to

ns

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Subsistence dairy farming in Nepal

IntroductionOnly few number of animal rearing only to sustain life, mainly rear animals for milk(household purpose), for dung as fertilizer in organic field, for ploughing field and for dung as source of energy.

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Purpose of Subsistence dairy farm in Nepal

Milk for household purpose Milk for selling purpose

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Contd…

For ploughing As transportation

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Contd…

Dung as organic fertilizer Dung used as source of fuel

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Reasons for the subsistence dairy farming in Nepal

•Low economic status•Lack of awareness about the commercialization of dairy firm•Unavailability of the adequate nutritious feed supply •Lack of knowledge about the dairy cattle management•Low animal productivity

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Commercialization of the dairy farm

•Concept of Commercialization of the dairy farm was initiated after the initiation of the concept of modern milk processing plant.•Modern milk processing began in the early nineteen-fifties with the introduction of Swiss alpine cheese making technology to the high mountains (Upadhyaya, 2001) • This led to the establishment of a cheese factory in Langtang, Rasuwa district, with financial assistance from New Zealand and technical assistance from FAO.

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Contd…

• Around the same time, a small milk processing plant was established at Kharipati, Bhaktapur. These plants started milk processing and marketing from 1958. By 1960 pasteurized milk in aluminium foil-capped bottles was on sale in Kathmandu (Upadhyaya, 2001).

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• A Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) was established in 1969.

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• To meet the increasing demand for processed milk and dairy products the DDC established more milk supply schemes: Biratnagar Milk Supply Scheme (BMSS) in 1973 in the eastern region, Hetauda Milk Supply Scheme (HMSS) in 1974 in central region, Kathmandu Milk Supply Scheme (KMSS) in 1978 in central region, and Pokhara Milk Supply Scheme (PMSS) in 1980 in the western region.

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• In 1981 under the DDC, Milk Producers’ Associations (MPAs) were established to increase the participation of farmers in dairy development in an organized way. Later the MPAs were transformed into Milk Producers’ Cooperatives (MPCs).

• Presently there are about 1000 MPCs in Nepal producing million liters of milk by rearing thousands of high milk yielding cows and buffalos

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Statistical data of cows and buffalos from 1996/97 to 2009/10

1996/97

1997/98

1998/99

1999/2000

2000/01

2001/02

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Chart Title

bufffalocattle

No.

of a

nim

als

in 1

0000

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Pattern of milking and non-milking animal in dairy farm

Milking

cow14%

Non-

milking

cow86%

no. of cows

Milking26%

Non-milk-ing

74%

Buffalos

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Potentials of dairy plant in Nepal

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Major issues in dairy development

• Milk holidays• Calving pattern of buffaloes: major buffaloes calves

during August to October during which most of the holidays take place. The breeding of the buffaloes should be changed to alter calving time and the milk holiday could be solved to some extent.

• High cost of production: due to dominant of non commercial farmers

• Poor quality of raw milk production• Shortage of trained personnel

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Future strategies in dairy farming in Nepal

• Supply of suitable improved dairy stock.• Adequate supply of feed and fodder throughout the year with

emphasis given to nutritive balanced• fodder-based feeding systems.• From the point of total animal use buffaloes should be given priority.• Business alliances between commercial producers and private

processors should be encouraged.• Elimination of milk holidays• Proper availabilities of the treatment facilities to diseased animals by

strengthening the animals health centers, DLSO and veterinarians• Provision for proper training about the dairy cattle rearing and its

management to the farmers• Introducing the new and high yielding animals to the country

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Benefits of commercial dairy farm over subsistence dairy farming

•Few in number•Rearing with other livestock •No provision for cleanliness to the shed so animal are more prone to diseases•The income from the dairy farm only sufficient for house hold purpose, no profit oriented•Feeding only by green pasture or fodder or forage•Less concern about the animal health•No provision for the increment of the productivity of the animals

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Contd…

•Large in number•Systematic in rearing•Provision to cleanliness so animals are less prone to diseases•Mostly profit oriented so the owners are much more concern to the increment of the productivity of the animals•Feeding on concentrate and fodder and forage too so animals are in nutritious order

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Breeding Division, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal.Chapagain, D. P. 1995. Livestock in the Agriculture Perspective Plan. Proc. of the Second National

AnimalScience Convention, Nepal Animal Science Association, Kathmandu.

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Mountain Environment and Natural Resources information Systems/Central Bureau of Statistics(ICIMOD/MENRIS/ CBS), 2003.Mapping

Nepal Census Indicators 2001 and Trends. International Dairy Federation,2000. World Dairy Situation.

Ministry of Agriculture. 1999. Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. HMG Nepal Ministry ofAgriculture, Singhdurbar, Kathmandu, Nepal.

National Milk Marketing and Strategy Study. 2001. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), DanidaSupport Project, Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur.

Pradhan, D. R., H. R. Shrestha and R. G. Shrestha 2003. Dairy Technologies and Their Dissemination in Nepal.Recent Spread and Impact of Agricultural Technologies in Nepal. Proc. of the Sixth National. OutreachResearch Workshop. Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Outreach Research Division,

Kathmandu ,NepalShrestha,H.R.2002. Small holder Dairy farming in Nepal: Characteristics,Constraints and Development

Opportunities. Smallholder Dairy Farming Systems of the Hindu-kush-Himalayas. ICIMOD/ILRI,Kathmandu,Nepal,September 2002.

Upadhyaya, R. M. 2001. Livestock Raising and Dairy Processing in Nepal – Present Status and Future Potential.

(Eds: Gyan L. Shrestha and Santosh P. Yadav). Green Energy Mission/ Nepal.

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