IEP Chandigarh, February 12
In order to enable rural youth self-reliant through dairy occupation, Punjab Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Sunday, informed that around 6116 farmers have been given advanced dairy farming training this year under the Dairy Entrepreneurship Training Program, and the four-week long dairy entrepreneurship training program will be organised to impart technical skills to farmers aspiring to set up their own dairy farms from February 20 at nine dairy training & extension centers by the Dairy Development Department.
S. Laljit Singh Bhullar said that to make dairy farmers efficient dairy managers, this program will be started at Dairy Training and Extension Centers at Chitamali (district Ropar), Bija (district Ludhiana), Gill (district Moga), Phagwara (district Jalandhar), Abul Khurana (district Sri Muktsar Sahib), Verka (district Amritsar), Tarn Taran, Sardulgarh (district Mansa) and Sangrur, in which advanced training will be imparted to modernize existing dairy farming in a scientific manner.
The Cabinet Minister said that aspiring dairy farmer of age between 18 to 45 years and resident of rural area, who should have passed matric, having 10 dairy milch animals and land for green fodder cultivation, can appear for counselling on February 13, 2023 at the nearest dairy training and extension center with matric certificate, Aadhaar card and passport size photograph or contact concerned Deputy Director Dairy of their district. The prospectus can be obtained from the District Deputy Director Dairy Offices. He said that this program would impart training about the latest techniques of purchasing milch animals, their scientific keeping, feeding, breed improvement, artificial insemination, pregnancy check, year-round green fodder production, milk production, seasonal livestock diseases, domestic feed preparation and marketing etc.
He said that every year, the target of imparting training to 6600 farmers/youth under “Two Week Training Program” and 1000 farmers/youth under “4 Week Dairy Entrepreneurship Training Program” in these nine training centers has been fixed, and till date 21 batches of both the programs have been conducted, in which about 6116 farmers have given advanced training.
Farmers can avail financial schemes after training
Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said that after obtaining certificate of the Dairy Entrepreneurship Training Program, farmers become eligible for financial assistance to set up a new dairy unit and procure required dairy machines.
While urging farmers and milk producers to adopt auxiliary occupations, the Cabinet Minister said that Mann government is providing financial assistance schemes to start dairy occupation for ensuring quality milk production and under these schemes, 50 percent subsidy is being given.
He said, the government providing financial assistance of Rs.17,500 per milch animal to the general category and Rs.23,100 per milch animal to the Scheduled caste beneficiaries for purchasing 2 to 20 milch animals. Besides this, 50% subsidy (maximum of Rs.24,366) is also given on double teat cup milking machine for encouraging milk producers to produce clean milk.
Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said, the government is providing subsidy of Rs.5.60 lakh on the automatic silage baler-cum-wrapper machine. Milk producers/farmers can make silage of the green fodder during the surplus season of green fodder and sell these bales during fodder shortage months. Farmers can also earn by dispatching fodder bales to other parts of Punjab and the country. Besides this, small and urban dairy farmers can also get a balanced animal feed all year round at a reasonable price.
Dairy Development Department helpline number 0172-5027285 can also be contacted for further information, he added.
