KOCHI:
Kerala Feeds further widened its ongoing project to help the state’s flood-affected dairy farmers, as Ernakulam Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla inaugurated today the PSU’s district-level Snehasparsham project that provides 100 bags of cattle feed for free.
In eligible cases, more cattle feed will be provided without charging money, Kerala Feeds Managing Director Dr B Sreekumar said in his keynote address at the function.
The August deluge and landslides has left Ernakulam district with a property loss of Rs 8,000 crore, Safirulla said, quoting the estimate of a UN team that made a study. If the initial focus was rescue operations, today it is rehabilitation by giving means of livelihood to the calamity-affected, he added, hailing the efforts of Kerala Feeds as “exemplary”.
Noting that rehabilitation is a long-term mission, the Collector said Kerala Feeds can help authorities in providing dairy farmers updated technology and new guidelines. The function was attended by Dairy Development Department Director Jose Jacob, Angamaly block panchayat member T P George, Kerala Feeds Deputy Manager P P Francis and the PSU’s veterinarian Dr Anuraj K S.
Dr Sreekumar said the PSU is initiating a scheme in association with the State Bank of India (SBI) to help flood-affected farmers take loans. Also, the company, headquartered in Kallettumkara of Thrissur district, will arrange SBI loans for aspiring dairy farmers, he added.
Kerala Feeds has, since the floods, distributed cattle feed worth Rs 22 lakh for dairy farmers in Ernakulam district. The 1995-founded PSU had also sold the product at a discount of Rs 100 per bag, thereby making a sale of Rs 31 lakh, the MD informed. The function was preceded by a familiarisation session where the dairy farmers were explained about insurance schemes for cattle.
