Alappuzha: The rising summer heat has hit the dairy sector in Alappuzha which has registered a dip in the daily milk procurement.
The procurement from the primary cooperative societies has come down from 1,07,425 lakh litres per day (LLPD) in February to 1,03,321 LLPD in March. The daily collection gap between the two months is 4,104 litres,
The animal husbandry department (AHD) had earlier taken precautionary measures to improve production during summer. The heat wave had led to the death of 13 cows here last month.
K.G. Sreelatha, district dairy officer, said that the production could fall further in April with no respite from the heat stress. Many hybrid cows were distributed to farmers as flood relief and they are vulnerable to heat stress, she said.
The AHD has asked owners of cows and other domestic animals to take additional care to protect them from dehydration and heat-related issues. The animals should not be allowed grazing under sunlight. Crossbred cows are the most vulnerable since their ability to resist the heat is comparatively less, it said.
After the floods last year, the milk procurement here had tumbled to 60,000 LLPD from 1,06,000 LLPD. The dairy department had managed the situation by distributing yielding varieties of cows to dairy farmers. At least 245 cows were distributed through 49 cooperative societies and 105 cattle given under ‘Donate cattle’ scheme introduced by the district administration.
The dairy farmers are a worried lot due to the fall in milk production.
