Impact and determinants of membership in dairy cooperative society: The case of smallholder dairy farmers in Barpeta District of Assam

Abstract

Dairy cooperatives are associated with creating opportunities for attaining higher level of market integration having implications for significant improvement in income of the dairy farmers. Given the positive impact of DCS membership from the analysis of multivariate regression the study further looks for factors that determine the decision to become membership of DCS. The analysis of the determinants based on logistic regression shows that milch animal holding, credit accessibility, availability of other services from DCS have positive relation with the membership decision, while dairy farming experience, distance to the cooperative collection centre and price of milk are negatively and significantly associated with cooperative membership. The study suggests that facilitating access to credit through dairy cooperatives to meet the financial viability, offering services to dairy farmers like fodder seed, subsidized concentrate feed, veterinary services, and establishment of more collection centre and improving market infrastructure can be instrumental in stimulating farmers’ membership decision to join cooperatives. Overall, to increase farmer’s membership the study recommends policies to take up more awareness programmes and trainings from time to time among the younger farmers on the beneficial effects of participating in cooperative system of dairying. The study concludes that cooperatives can be efficient in fostering wellbeing of the farmers with relatively higher income, employment and nutritional status.