Fakrudeen is a farmer who also earns his livelihood from animal husbandry. He has two buffalos whose milk he sells in the local market. In 2019, Fakrudeen attended a farmers’ meeting in his village organized by S M Sehgal Foundation, where the importance of animal feed supplements was explained. He learned about the nutrients and elements required for good milk production through improved animal health.
Fakrudeen says, “In our village where we feed our animals with traditional feed and fodder, it is normal for the milk production to be low, the animals to be lethargic and have a delayed menstrual cycle. With my new knowledge, and on a trial basis I gave one of my buffalos the supplementary nutrition for eighty days as per the recommendations of the project team.”
The results surprised Fakrudeen, as in just seven days, his buffalo became more active and bright-eyed. In a few days, there was a regular increase of 2 liters in milk quantity per day. This amounted to an additional 500 liters of milk, during one lactation period of up to eight months, and an extra income of INR 15,000. His net profit after deducting the cost of the supplements for eight months was INR 14,300. However, even beyond the direct profit angle, Fakrudeen is happy that the health of the animal has significantly improved and also became ready for the next conception well in time.
Now Fakrudeen regularly feeds his animals with the nutrient mixture and recommends this to other villagers.
Authors: Naveen Pratap Singh and Ellora Mubashir
(Naveen is program lead, Agricultural Development and Ellora is communications specialist, Partnerships, at S M Sehgal Foundation)
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