We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Ration Balancing: Promising Option for Doubling Income from Dairying.
- Authors
Sirohi, Smita; Sridhar, V.; Srivastava, A. K.; Kalamkar, S. S.; Sharma, Deepak; Boyal, Vanpal
- Abstract
This paper has examined the extent of productivity increase and cost reduction on adoption of balanced animal ration. The study is based on the database extracted from Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH) pertaining to the milk yield and feeding records of about 15000 cattle and buffaloes that were covered under Ration Balancing Program (RBP) of the National Dairy Plan I implemented in the states of Gujarat and Punjab. The econometric analysis of secondary data following before-after impact assessment approach has also been complemented using with-without approach applying Propensity Score Matching technique on the data from field survey collected from 40 villages during the year 2015-16. In Gujarat, the analysis has shown that the ration balancing intervention enhanced the productivity of cows by around 13 per cent and of buffaloes by nearly 5.5 per cent. The quantum of increase discernible from the with-without approach after controlling for the confounding factors was higher, 19.5 per cent for cows and 18 per cent for buffaloes. In Punjab, the estimates of productivity gain for cows was close to 13 per cent based on either approach. Ration balancing has been cost effective in terms of percentage reduction in feed cost and feed cost/litre Fat Corrected Milk (FCM) of both, cattle and buffalo, with the cost efficiency being more pronounced in cows. In cattle, the feed cost per litre FCM reduced in between 5.76 and 9.86 per cent in Gujarat and by 10.83-18.53 per cent in Punjab. The field level data have also indicated a clear impact in reducing the feed cost per litre of milk by about 18-19 per cent in case of cows in both the states and about 2.6 per cent in buffaloes in Gujarat. Given the potential of this intervention in enhancing the dairy income, the paper has also discussed various ways in which its adoption can be promoted among the dairy farmers.
- Subjects
INDIA; DAIRY industry; FARM income; AGRICULTURAL productivity; COST control; ECONOMETRICS; AGRICULTURAL economics
- Publication
Agricultural Economics Research Review, 2017, p193
- ISSN
0971-3441
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5958/0974-0279.2017.00034.9