The Importance of Dairy Farming for Landless Households in Punjab

Abstract

The study was undertaken to find the importance of dairy farming for landless households in rural Punjab. The primary data were collected from the 126 landless households from the two selected districts of Punjab, i.e., Ludhiana and Bathinda, for the year 2017- 18. The study concluded that the majority of the population belonged to the working-age group and more than one-fourth of the population was illiterate. About 59 percent were milch animals out of the total animal, and buffaloes proved to be the most important livestock among the milch animals. The net returns based on per litre of milk production were found to be ? 1.34 for buffalo and ? 0.93 for cow milk production, respectively. In the case of buffalo's and cow's milk production, the variable cost was the major component. Dairying, on average, employed 208 man-days per annum and contributed about 14 percent share in the total income of these households. Inadequate sheds for animals, non-availability of land for fodder cultivation, high cost of feed and fodder, exploitation by a middleman, lack of knowledge about scientific feeding practices were the major constraints for all the sampled households. Dairying could be an important source for providing employment opportunities and supplementing the income of the landless households if the government assured them of the utilization of the village's common land, adequate financial assistance, extension services, and basic infrastructure facilities.