Socio-economic characteristics
Table 2 reveals that the dairy farmer’s socio-economic characteristics during COVID-19 lockdown. In the study area, more than half of the respondents (56.67) were middle age group and other farmers were belonged to young and old age group. The mean age of farmer was 40. It reveals middle age group farmers could be able to handle an unexpected situation in an efficient way. Further Table 2 reveals that the majority of the farmers were male and in a joint family. More than one–third (54.00 per cent) of the respondents were studied upto 10
th followed by nearly one-third (36.67per cent) of the respondents who had collegiate levels of education and the rest of the farmers had primary and higher secondary. Gopi
et al., 2020 reported that 36.70 per cent of farmers were illiterate.
It further reveals that only 16.67 per cent of farmers were landless and more than two-third (66.67percent) of the respondents were marginal and small farmers. Remaining 12.00 per cent were large farmers. Gopi
et al., 2020 also reported that nearly half (46.70) of the dairy farmers were small and marginal categories. Holding land during emergency and crisis periods would provide supplementary support for cultivating fodder and agriculture. Majority (76.67 per cent) of the farmers were possessed dairy alone as the main occupation and the remaining respondents were rearing dairy and other livestock. It indicates that possession of dairy during the emergency period’s an important means for sustainable livelihood.
More than 86.66 per cent of dairy farmers have belonged to low to medium group of mass media participation and the rest of them had a high level of mass media participation (13.33 per cent). Gopi
et al., 2020 also reported that similar kindly information-seeking behaviour (85.00 per cent). During the pandemic, situation farmers were assessed by different regional tamil mass media sources
viz, kalnadai kathir, pasumai vikadan, youtube videos of dairy farmers, breeding males, naveena uzhavar iyarkai vivasayam, vivasaya nanban, pasumai vivasayam and WhatsApp group of nattukozhi valarppu, nadappena sei, kalnadai valarppu thakaval maiyam MS Swaminathan research foundation for retrieving livestock farming information. This indicates that dairy farmers were spent a good amount of time for availing livestock information.
Constraint confronted by dairy farmers during lockdown
The result presented in Fig 2 revealed that the high cost of concentrate feed with mean weighed score of 50.00 was ranked first as a major problem in dairy farming. Compare to before lockdown the cost of concentrate feed was increased by Rs. 2 to 3/ per kg of feed leads to an increase in production cost. This is mainly due to the unavailability of concentrate feed ingredients, logistics difficult. The farmers also expressed that shortage of wheat bran supply, the elevation of wheat bran cost and difficulty in the procurement of concentrate second important constraints with MWS of 44.44 during the pandemic situation and shortage of concentrate supply. Wheat bran cost also elevated by Rs 2 to 3/- wheat bran important ingredient which directly affected the farmers income.
In disease aspects difficult in the treatment of an animal with MWS of 13.33, other impediments such as difficulty in selling milk, difficulty in purchase and sale of animal for rearing and plouging, difficulty in the transport of animal, unsold milk were found other constraints. Prathibha
et al., 2020 reported that women dairy entrepreneurs in the Puducherry district were also faced hurdles of high feed cost, reduced milk price, lack of market during the lockdown.
Poudel
et al., 2020 acknowledged that the lockdown disturbed the supply chain of the market with weakens production with a lack of inputs supply and labour. Manivannan
et al., 2018 concluded unavailability of veterinary treatment facilities an important problem during vagaries of nature.
Management practices followed during COVID-19
Feeding practices followed
The management practices followed in dairy farming by the respondent was presented in Table 3 along with respective ranking. The practices were grouped into three heading namely feeding, disease management and marketing management practices in dairy farming.
More than slightly one-third of respondents (40.00) altered the composition of concentrate feeding ranked as first as a way to overcome the constraints such as high cost of concentrate and wheat bran cost. Before lockdown, respondents were using the homemade concentrate for feeding milch animals. Based on the availability of local ingredients and they modified feed composition and changed two or three ingredients in concentrate. They followed this kind of feeding practices namely; a) Rice bran, wheat bran and red gram powder b) Wheat bran, rice bran cotton seed cake, ground nut cake c) Wheat bran, groundnut cake and tapioca powder d) Groundnut cake alone e) Mixture of concentrate feed and tapioca powder f) Concentrate feed and rice bran, wheat bran, rice cruel e) Groundnut cake and green gram g) Wheat bran, rice bran, black gram, green gram, corn flour, tapioca powder, broken rice and salt h) Wheat bran, commercial concentrate, corn flour and ground nut cake i) Wheat bran, rice bran, red gram sesame oil cake, corn flour and ground nut cake during lockdown.
Further, Table 3 shows that 23.33 percentage of farmers were increased their grazing duration and ranked II. They increased two to three hours of grazing period and managed a shortage of concentrate supply and maintain production level. Experienced farmers, integrated farmers and large dairy farmers have utilized buffer stock of feed, maintained their animal by providing straw and dry fodders. They were mainly stocked up the black gram, rice bran, red gram and groundnut hay.
Integrated farmers, experienced farmers decreased grazing duration (IV). Nearly they reduced grazing time for two hours per day and followed intensive rearing due to fear of pandemic. 10.00 per cent of farmers changed grazing place, increased utilization of rice bran and decreased utilization of wheat bran. Among the feed ingredients, farmers mainly utilizing wheat bran is an important ingredient because it provides a pleasant aroma and soft leads to increase the thirst for voluntary intake and helpful for increasing milk yield. Due to unavailability and high cost of wheat at the time of lockdown farmers were used rice bran.
Disease management practices followed
A majority (80.00) of the dairy farmers consulted veterinary doctors over the phone for getting assistance especially bloat, enteritis, acidosis conditions since veterinary doctors as trusted sources for providing veterinary care services during emergency situations ranked as first. Saravanan
et al.,
2020 in their study also concluded that veterinarian doctor was an important information source during the crisis. Nearly 26.67 respondents were followed herbal veterinary treatment based on their previous experience and consulting with other progressive farmers in the village.
The following herbal treatments such as application of turmeric, kuppaimeni leaves, neem leaves, turmeric, karporam, kalyanamurungai for pox infection, sodium bicarbonate for bloat were followed. Educated and young farmers have viewed youtube videos (20.00) for primary health care treatment and livestock farming. Only a meager number of farmers utilized social media since it is not authenticated source, so they did not avail much.
Marketing practices followed
In the study area, more than half of them were sold their milk directly to consumers (Rank I) because of the low price for milk, unsold milk and high cost of concentrate were craved towards direct selling. Women entrepreneurs in Puducherry district were 13.33% sold to directly, 66.67% were sold to co-operative society 13.33% and 20% cooperative society and consumers during the lockdown (Prathibha
et al., 2020).
Large dairy farmers and those farmers unable to sell milk directly have prepared value-added dairy products (II) like curd, ghee, rosemilk and badam milk. 10 per cent of farmers changed their location of selling due to non remunerative price for the milk. They changed location from selling privately to Aavin, direct sale to consumers; government to private depends upon the speedy acceptance and price.
