Mega dairy farm to start operation soon

KATHMANDU, Jan 27: In a bid to tap the huge milk market of the country, farmer co-operatives, dairies and local bodies are soon establishing the biggest dairy farm in the country.

The promoters of the ambitious project based in Dolakha hope the burgeoning deficit of fresh milk in the country will come to an end once the dairy farm -- with over 10,000 heads of improved breed of cows -- comes into operation. [break]

“We are establishing the mega farm as per the private-public partnership concept with farmers´ co-operatives, dairy producers and local bodies as stakeholders,” said Ram Kumar Khadka, president of Nepal Dairy Association, the umbrella organization of private dairies and one of the stakeholders of the farm to be based in Boch VDC of Dolakha.

The Kalinchowk Cow Farm and Research Center Ltd will have about 10,000 heads of Holystone breed of cows, which would be possibly imported from China. The farm will buy around 1,000 ropanis of forest land and lease around 40,000 ropanis of local community forests to arrange necessary foliage for the cattle.

“Land acquisition process is at the final stage. We are soon signing an agreement with a local community forest to ensure smooth supply of fodder for the cattle and collect foliage to make feed from grass,” said Khadka.

Investment of Rs 500 million

10,000 cows to be imported

40,000 ropanis of community forest to be leased

Farmers are the major promoters

The farm will also import bulls of improved breeds which is expected to cost over Rs 20 million.

“We are really encouraged as big dairy producers in the country have expressed their willingness to invest in the project,” Khadka said.

Experts with Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) are working out the project design of the farm that would use one of the most sophisticated technologies in milk production.

According to conservative estimate, the demand of fresh milk across the country stands at 800,000 liters a day.

“We are deeply motivated to increase milk production through commercialization in farming to end the increasing deficit in milk production,” Khadka opined.

In a bid to reduce cost of production maintain sustainability in milk production, the farm is producing fodder on its own in the local community forest.

Khadka said the works to establish the farm would begin in a couple of months. The promoters expect to significantly bring down milk production cost from existing Rs 25 per liter by adopting new techniques to produce feed from grass.

According to entrepreneurs, cost of production per liter of milk stands at around Rs 9 per liter in China, where dairy farms are producing feed from fodder.

Though the Swiss government had supported commercial cow farming in Dolakha some five decades ago, it could not run for long.

prabhakar@myrepublica.com