In the heart of the Old Mysore region, Ravi, a dairy farmer in Keelara village of Mandya district, has long relied on his cows and paddy cultivation to supplement his income. However, the relentless drought since the past year has upended his livelihood. Faced with dwindling fodder availability, Ravi was compelled to sell two of his cows six months ago. Now, with just one cow remaining, he struggles to maintain both milk supply for his family and generate additional income by selling surplus milk to the local cooperative.
Ravi’s plight mirrors that of numerous farmers across Mandya, Kolar, Tumakuru, and Bengaluru Rural districts, which constitute the primary milk procurement regions for the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF). The dairy sector, once a beacon of hope for rural communities in these areas, is now grappling with the aftermath of the 2023 monsoon failure, exacerbating the shortage of cow feed due to depleted post-harvest hay and water scarcity.
Despite the government’s efforts to mitigate the crisis by distributing fodder kits, the absence of adequate water resources rendered these initiatives ineffective. The delay in disbursing the promised ₹5 per litre incentive further compounded the financial distress faced by dairy farmers already grappling with reduced milk yields and escalating input costs.
In Kolar, where farmers heavily rely on dairy farming for sustenance, the situation is dire, with drying borewells exacerbating water scarcity issues. Farmers like Thulasi Kumar have been forced to downsize their cattle herds due to declining milk yields and income. Similarly, in Tumakuru, water scarcity and fodder shortages have diminished dairy farming’s role as a reliable income source, pushing farmers like Jayanna to limit their operations to merely catering to their family’s milk needs.
The struggles of dairy farmers extend beyond mere economic challenges; they also face environmental degradation as they resort to selling cow dung, a vital natural fertilizer, for additional income. Meanwhile, those without land for fodder cultivation, like Lakshamma in Keelara, are left dependent on increasingly scarce stray fodder, further exacerbating their predicament.
The Karnataka Milk Federation, despite witnessing a nominal increase in milk procurement, grapples with mounting arrears from the previous government, further straining their ability to support distressed dairy farmers. As the specter of drought looms large over the region, dairy farming, once a lifeline for rural communities, now stands at a precarious crossroads, necessitating urgent intervention to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of farmers across the state.
Source: The has been edited from the original post: From plenty to parched: Dairy farmers’ struggle for survival in Karnataka – The Hindu
