The Sindhudurg District Central Cooperative Bank (DCCB), in association with Gokul Milk Union, has drawn up a roadmap to strengthen dairy cooperatives and enhance milk production in the district, with a special focus on attracting more youth to the dairy sector.
Addressing a meeting of selected dairy cooperative societies at Oros, DCCB Chairman Manish Dalvi said the growing participation of young farmers in dairy farming is an encouraging trend and called upon cooperative societies to adopt innovative practices to expand the business.
He lauded Gokul’s contribution, saying the union has continued serving Sindhudurg despite incurring losses over the past 13 years.
Dalvi announced the launch of an ‘Ideal Dairy Cooperative Award’, under which the best-performing society will receive an attractive cash prize to encourage healthy competition and improve performance.
The meeting also decided to organise a ‘Shwet Samvad’ outreach programme for direct interaction with dairy farmers. Discussions covered expanding Gokul product outlets through cooperative societies, promoting improved breeding technologies, fodder development, solar-powered fodder cultivation, livestock insurance, and establishing a ‘Pashu Mall’.
At present, nearly 30,000 litres of milk are collected daily through 132 collection centres, while total milk procurement, including private collectors, stands at around 50,000 litres per day.
