Sunita of Taoru block, Nuh district, Haryana, followed traditional livestock management practices and experienced the challenge of low milk production from her cattle. Like other milch animals, her cattle were prone to diseases, which gradually resulted in them producing lower quantities of milk. This in turn limited her family’s earnings from livestock, which formed a supplementary source of their income.
In August 2021, Sunita attended a farmer meeting organized as part of a CSR-supported project implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation through which she came to know about the importance of balanced nutrition for animals. She immediately expressed interest in adopting the animal nutrition kits that were distributed to selected beneficiaries for trial demonstration. She received the kit of mineral mixture fortified with vitamins and chromium, along with deworming tablets. Sunita was also trained on the importance of balanced animal nutrition, like mixing green and dry fodder with the supplements, and learned about clean milking, among other topics.
Toward the end of August 2021, Sunita started feeding the balanced nutrition to her milch animal that had delivered a calf a month before. The mother was still weak at that time and was able to deliver eight liters of milk per day. After a month of continuous use of improved nutrition, Sunita noticed an increase of two liters of milk per day, and the mother regained the strength she had lost due to pregnancy.
Sunita says, “Through the project, I have known about better animal nutrient management practices. Now I have an increased income of INR 3,000 monthly from the additional sixty liters of milk that my cow produces. I have also noticed an overall health improvement in her, ever since I started using the balanced nutrition kit.”
Author: Debika Goswami
(Debika is senior program lead, Local Participation and Sustainability, S M Sehgal Foundation)
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