BIDAR: The Gulbarga-Bidar Milk Union has been making losses since its inception in 1985. Officials and concerned citizens feel that having a single union for the two districts is the reason for this.

"Having one union for the two districts has neither helped Gulbarga nor Bidar. The union concentrates on procuring milk in Bidar and marketing it in Gulbarga. As a result, marketing in Bidar and milk procurement in Gulbarga have been neglected," sources say. If separate unions are created, milk procurement and marketing will be strengthened in both the districts, senior officials feel.

The "Gulbarga milk union" can buy excess milk from Bidar till milk procurement in that district improves. This will benefit both the districts, officials say.

Figures seem to support their claim. While the union collects 20,000 kg of milk a day in Bidar, it collects 3,000 kg in Gulbarga. According to estimates prepared by the Karnataka Milk Federation, there are around six lakh milch animals in the two districts. At least half of them yield milk regularly. Thus, at least three lakh litres of milk is produced in the two districts. But the union lifts only 7.6 per cent of the milk produced. The remainder is not sold through an organised marketing network.

The union sells 28,000 litres of milk in Gulbarga and 1,000 litres in Bidar every day. Officials concede that at least 20,000 litres of milk is sold in Bidar. This includes retail selling by milkmen and marketing by 10 private brands. This figure gets doubled in Gulbarga, officials say. There were 369 milk producers' cooperative societies in the two districts before the union was formed in 1985. At least 237 societies run by women were promoted in Bidar under the Centrally aided Bidar Integrated Rural Development programme. Gulbarga had 132 such societies.

Reduced numbers

But now, the number of societies has come down to 148 in Bidar and 38 in Gulbarga. There are over 1,295 villages and hamlets in Gulbarga and 850 in Bidar. But the union's milk collection vans visit only 186 villages and hamlets in the two districts. Farmers in other villages are forced to sell their produce door-to-door in the nearest town. There are 4.6 lakh small and marginal families dependant on dairy farming in Gulbarga and 1.95 lakh such families in Bidar. But the union has 17,050 members in Gulbarga and 30,716 members in Bidar. The union is yet to reach out to 92 per cent of small and marginal farmers in the cooperative milk production movement.

This trend can be reversed if a separate union is carved out for Bidar, feels Kalyanrao Patil Nittur, president of the Nittur Foundation which trains women in animal husbandry.

Experts at the Veterinary University say that the soil, climate, rainfall and native breeds of cattle in Bidar are well suited for milk production.

Milk production can be increased if concerted efforts are made. It has been proved worldwide that animal rearing helps farmers. As far as Karnataka is concerned, while many farmers have committed suicide, no person who has taken up animal rearing has taken such an extreme step, says Vice-Chancellor of the university R.N. Srinivas Gowda. He feels dairy farming should be promoted among farmers. Experience shows that cooperative animal husbandry is the most successful of poverty alleviation programmes. It should be vigorously promoted, he adds.

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