Nagaland State Dairy Co-operative Federation (NSDCF) Project Director Dr. Elizabeth Yhome has outlined a dairy development model centred on commercially managed farms, local entrepreneurship and village-level cooperatives to strengthen rural employment, food security and the retention of dairy income within the state.
Writing for The Morung Express, Dr. Yhome described commercial dairy farming as an underused economic opportunity for Nagaland. She said dairy farming can generate income not only through milk and dairy products but also through cattle dung and urine, which can be used as natural fertilisers in organic farming.
Dr. Yhome identified the dependence on hired workers from outside the state as a structural challenge in the current dairy-farming model. According to her, these workers often handle herd care, milking and milk marketing, while local farm owners may have limited influence over milk pricing and distribution, resulting in dairy income flowing outside the state.
She called for greater participation by Naga entrepreneurs in directly managing commercial dairy farms, covering activities such as farm hygiene, breeding, feeding, milking and marketing. The proposed approach also includes scientifically formulated feed, selective breeding, automated milking, direct consumer sales and opportunities for local feed-mixing units, processing equipment and other rural micro-enterprises.
For small dairy producers, Dr. Yhome proposed developing village-level dairy cooperative societies under the NSDCF. Drawing on the cooperative models of Amul and Mother Dairy, she said village societies could aggregate milk from producers, use fat testing for transparent milk pricing and build regional dairy brands.
The cooperative structure could also aggregate milk to volumes suitable for industrial processing, potentially helping Nagaland reduce its dependence on packaged dairy products sourced from outside the state. The proposed model places local producers, village cooperatives and the NSDCF at the centre of a more integrated dairy network.
Nagaland already has an institutional foundation for cooperative dairy development. The state government says the NSDCF was established in 2002 to replicate the Anand Pattern of cooperative dairying, based on a three-tier structure comprising a state federation, district-level unions and village-level societies.
The proposed shift toward locally managed commercial farms and stronger village cooperatives therefore represents a development pathway focused on keeping more value within Nagaland while expanding milk production, rural employment and local dairy-processing opportunities.
Source: Dairynews7x7 25 Sep, Read full story here
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