POKHARA, August 9: The Gandaki Province government has allocated Rs 30.9 million in grants to dairy farmers for the fiscal year 2023/24, based on their milk production. The Livestock and Fishery Development Directorate, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Management, implemented the Production-Based Incentive Support Programme across 85 local levels in 11 districts of the province.

Under this scheme, the provincial government provided a subsidy of Rs 2.50 per liter for the 13,961 metric tonnes of milk produced by 64 cooperatives. Dr. Prerana Bhattarai, director general of the directorate, noted that this subsidy is exclusively available to dairy farmers who sell their milk through cooperatives.

Last year, the Gandaki Province government had allocated Rs 65.5 million to the program as part of the subsidy increment scheme.

Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) Achieves Self-Sufficiency in Milk Production

Meanwhile, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has become self-sufficient in milk production. According to a recent report, milk production in the district has exceeded local demand, allowing the surplus to be supplied to other areas.

Rishav Guragain, chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Centre, stated that Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has been self-sufficient in milk for the past three years. The district produces 146 liters of milk per person annually, surpassing the World Health Organization's recommended 91 liters per person in developing countries.

For the fiscal year 2023/24, the district continues to maintain this level of milk production, highlighting its ongoing self-sufficiency. -- RSS