CHITWAN, June 2: Chitwan district exports as much as 174,800 liters of milk daily. According to the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Center Chitwan, 55 percent of the milk produced in the district is exported to other districts in the country.
The district produces 317,823 liters of milk everyday. A veterinarian at the center, Dr Ramchandra Acharya mentions that the milk produced in the district is sent to cities like Kathmandu, Butwal, Pokhara, and Hetauda. Three years ago, Chitwan was declared a self-sufficient district in milk.
While a person only needs 91 liters of milk a year, the statistics maintained by the center mention that the district has 176 liters of milk available per person a year. Acharya says that the district has 92,997 cows and 72,833 buffaloes.
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The government, in an attempt to make the district self-sufficient in milk, has been prioritizing giving grants to Chitwan among other districts. According to Dipchandra Ghimire, a technician at the center, among the 13 districts in the Bagmati Province, Chitwan receives 50 percent of the grants given for milk production. The center has allocated a budget of over Rs 10 million for the promotion of cows and buffalo, expansion of grassland areas and construction of cowsheds.
The Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Center Chitwan celebrated the ‘World Milk Day’ with Chitwan District Milk Producers Cooperative Union Ltd this Wednesday. Chief and Senior Animal Development Officer Sushil Kesari reported that the day was celebrated by feeding milk to 800 people including patients undergoing treatment and other service recipients of outdoor services at Bharatpur Hospital.
The patients in Bharatpur Hospital and their acquaintances were fed 150 liters of milk. Apart from this, 40 liters of milk was distributed at Manav Sewa Ashram, Chitwan and Yogi Narahari Nath Yoga & Nature Cure Hospital. In addition to this, a tractor full of grass was given to the Cow Conservation Center in Bageshwari.
Kishor Bagale, secretary of the Chitwan District Milk Producers Cooperative Union, says that there is still a need for knowledge about the use of milk in society. He reports that the subsidy intended for dairy farmers in Chitwan has not yet been implemented.
