KIADB land acquisition likely to hit dairy farming in Balkunje, Kollur, Ulepady

The proposed land acquisition by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) for industrial purposes in the villages of Balkunje, Kollur and Ulepady in Mulki will be affecting dairy farming there.

A majority of the farmers and households in these villages are engaged in dairy farming. The rearing of cows not only helps in using the milk for household purposes but also for selling it to the milk societies.

Aikala Gram Panchayat vice president and Kollur Milk Producers’ Cooperative Society executive officer Rajesh Shetty said, “Dairy farming is the backbone of the farmers in these villages as it not only helps in getting milk but also helps in preparing organic manure for the plantations''.

The land acquisition will have an impact on the milk production in the region as well. There are milk producers in Balkunje, Kollur and Ulepady.

On one hand, the government is supporting dairy farming by giving incentives to the farmers who supply milk to the societies, while on the other hand, land acquisition will take away milk production.

“Hatti gobbara” (organic manure) helps in increasing the fertility of the land as well as getting a good yield. The society in Ulepady gets 500 to 600 litres of milk daily as more than 80 progressive farmers are engaged in dairy farming in the region. In Kollur, 450 litres of milk is supplied daily by more than 70 families. In Balkunje, an average of 400 litres of milk is supplied by 60 to 65 families. On average, farmers get 10 litres of milk per day in these villages, he said.