Social Performance

Social Investments - Mission Sunhera Kal

Integrated Animal Husbandry Programme

The programme for genetic improvement of cattle through artificial insemination to produce high-yielding crossbred progenies has been given special emphasis because it reaches out to the most impoverished, and has the potential to enable them to live with social and economic dignity. 83 new Cattle Development Centres (CDCs) were established during the year, taking the total to 293 centres covering more than 8,200 villages, resulting in 2.32 lakh artificial inseminations during the year. ITC’s first PPP project in livestock development for 10 CDCs was sanctioned by NABARD for Hoshangabad district (Madhya Pradesh).

Taking the next step in the development of a viable livestock economy, dairy development in Munger was a major focus area this year. Farmers from 60 villages were mobilised for milk procurement on 3 milk routes. The process of establishing a robust procurement infrastructure was initiated with the installation of 3 Bulk Milk Chillers (BMC) along with one storage tank. The total handling capacity created was 14,000 litres per day (LPD). Backward linkages for dairy inputs, particularly cattle feed, was strengthened during the year, with the quantity of cattle feed supplied to farmers increasing significantly during the year.

As a result of all these inputs, procurement of milk was encouraging during the year. Starting with 102 litres from 31 farmers in July 2011, the average collection per month increased to 9,400 LPD in March 2012, with about 1,300 farmers pouring milk on a regular basis. The total milk handled during the year was nearly 12 lakh litres.