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DKMUL now proposes to launch cattle insurance

The cooperative is planning to cover 10,000-20,000 animals on trial basis

To make dairy farmers more secure, Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Union Ltd. (DKMUL) has now proposed to introduce cattle insurance in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

According to Raviraj Hegde, president, DKMUL, the cooperative is planning to bring between 10,000 and 20,000 animals under the insurance cover before the end of this financial year. It would be on a trial basis.

“We will work out its modalities soon,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Hegde said that the cooperative would bear the major share of the premium. Either the farmer members of the DKMUL or their milk producers cooperative societies would have to bear some minimum share of the premium.

Once the premium is paid, the insurance cover, applicable for the death of cattle, should be for at least three years. It is to do away with the hassles of annual renewal of premium. The cooperative might have to invest about ₹ 2 crore for the purpose, he said.

He said that of the about 1.20 lakh members of the union now, 65,000-70,000 members are active. They supplied milk to the union regularly. The union had 716 milk producers cooperative societies.

Bringing cattle under insurance would make farmers more secure in case of death of cattle. Now, the union through its farmers trust gave some minimum amount as compensation to the owners in case of death of cattle. But insurance cover would be more attractive.

To a question, Mr. Hegde said that whether the insurance cover would attract more farmers to take up dairying cannot be predicted. But it would definitely make the existing ones happier.

He said that milk procurement by the union, which stood between 4.60 lakh litres a day and 4.85 lakh litres a day in June-July, had suddenly dropped to 4.10 lakh litres a day now. “We are trying to find out the reasons for it,” he said.

Mr. Hegde said that in the State-level too, milk procurement by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has now dipped to about 73 lakh litres a day from about 84.5 lakh litres a day two months ago. The entire State is facing the same trend, he said.