Rising temperatures affect milk production by 20-30%

Mysuru: Rising temperatures have led to a decline in milk production in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. Mysuru Milk Union (Mymul) and Chamarajanagar Milk Union (Chamul) have reported a decrease in daily milk procurement as compared to the winter season, which is attributed to scarcity of green fodder due to drought conditions and heatwaves.Dairy farmers note a significant 20-30% decrease in production this summer.Mymul which was procuring around 7.3 lakh litres of milk during winter season daily is now procuring 7.1 lakh litres daily this month, registering a decline of 20,000 litres.Chamul is procuring 2.2 litres of milk in the first week of April against 2.5 lakh litres during December 2023. Milk production, which is declining after the onset of drought, is likely to decline further during peak summer months of April and May, according to sources.Farmers attribute the situation to scarcity of green fodder due to prevailing drought in the twin districts, heat and certain diseases affecting the milk production.As inter-district, interstate fodder movement have been restricted by the state govt due to the drought, dairy farmers are struggling to maintain cows and other livestock due to scarcity of green fodder as agricultural activities took a beating without release of water for irrigation of summer crops this year in the twin districts. “As farming activities are severely hit by prevailing drought from the last four months, dairy farmers like me are struggling to maintain milch animals without availability of green fodder which is essential for better milk yield,” Mahadeva Nayak, a dairy farmer from Kestur told TOI.Chamarajanagar deputy director of animal husbandry and veterinary sciences Hanumegowda said maintaining milch animals as summer peaks is a challenge for dairy farmers.“Extreme summer conditions create scarcity of green fodder, vitamin A deficiency and incidences of bovine mastitis (udder inflammation) among cattle. There will also be increased respiration rate and body temperature. Farmers must try to keep milch animals under shade without taking them to fields for grazing as much as possible when temperatures rise,” the official said. “In order to sustain milk production, scientific interventions have to be followed during feeding and management phases like creating adequate ventilation in the cattle shed. Fans and cooling systems, including sprinkling of water must be done thrice a day. Sufficient drinking water must be ensured to keep the animals hydrated. In case of non-availability of green fodder, he advised dairy farmers must keep their milch cattle by giving vitamin mineral mixture or vitamin A can be supplemented orally at a rate of one ounce every 2-3 days. The cattle should not be allowed to graze during hot hours of the day,” he said.
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