The district has cultivated an image as a source of milk. The farmers of this districted started dairy farming 20 years ago and now they are able to generate income of around Rs 1 million a day. According to District Dairy Producers Cooperative Association (DDPCA) statistics, 13,000 households are actively involved in the dairy business. [break]
Dairy has become a source of steady income for farmers in the district, Indramani Dahal, chairman of DDPCA, told myrepublica.com.
There are eight cold storages run by the private sector and the government-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC). DDC´s cold storage centers are located at Balefi, Melamchi and Sipaghat and these collect 30,000 liters of milk on a daily basis.
There are cold storages at Sipaghat, Sankhu and Sangachok run by the private sector. DDPCA has also started cold storages at Naubise and Andheri, which collect 10,000 litres daily.
The opening of the DDC cold storage at Sipaghat 25 years ago had kick-started the dairy business in the district. Dairy products collected from the district are distributed in Kathmandu Valley through the DDC´s distribution channel.
According to DDPCA, farmers charge Rs 20 to 40 per litre of milk, which adds up to total income of up to Rs 500,000 for each household annually. Phulpingdanda, Kubende, Melamchi, Bhotsipa, Sipapokhare, Talamarang, Shikhpur and Bhotechaur are the places regarded as sources of dairy in Sindhupalchowk.
Farmers are happy with the end of the "Milk Holiday", a frequent phenomenon a few years back. "Milk Holiday for one day means wastage of 40,000 litres of milk resulting in a loss of Rs 500,000 every day", Dahal said. Sindhupalchowk has been declared a pocket area for dairy production by the Central Dairy Producers Cooperatives Association.
It is hard to find a house in Sindhupalchowk without at least one cow and a buffalo.
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