Milky Way Project brings smiles in Sindhuli farmers’ face

First purebred Holstein calf handed over to a farmer

Sindhulimadhi, Feb. 15

With the first purebred Holstein calf last week, Kamalamai Municipality in Sindhuli district has inched a step forward in developing itself as a model dairy village and national nucleus for the new methods of cow rearing.

The cow kept by Guna Kumari Ghimire, a member of Gaiya Devi Women Entrepreneurs Self-help Group in Kamalamai-5, Gaiyatar, gave the first purebred calf of the Korean-breed Holstein for the first time in the country. It was possible with the collaboration among the municipality, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), Heifer International in Nepal and Korea, Sindhuli Integrated Development Services (SIDS), and local communities.

Ghimire handed over the newly-born calf to Uma Subedi, a young woman who is also a member of the Group, at a programme organised in her shed in the presence of Livestock Secretary of the MoALD, Dr. Rewati Raman Poudel, South Korea's Ambassador to Nepal, Park Tae-Young, Mayor of Kamalamai Upendra Kumar Pokharel and officials of the Department of Livestock and other agencies.

However, the calf will remain with its mother for the next seven months before formally leaving for a new shed.

"I have taken this moment as an opportunity. I am very excited now as I was while welcoming the new Korean cow into my newly built shed a year earlier," said Ghimire.

In response, Subedi said that she too was excited. "I feel lucky to get it. I think it will open more economic opportunity for us," she said.

As per the project rules, the farmers, who received the new breed of Korean cow in a grant and financial support to upgrade sheds, should give away the first calf to another member of their community. This practice will make sure that a significant number of farmers here will have a Holstein cow within the next few years.

Under the Milky Way Project, the stakeholders collaborated to bring 100 Holstein cows that will produce 10,000 litres of milk over each milking period and eight high-fertility bulls from South Korea last year.

Of these cows, 80 were distributed to 50 farmer families in two communities in Kamalamai. The remaining cows and bulls were sent to National Livestock Birthing Office in Pokhara and Lahan, Cattle Genetic Resource Centre in Jiri, National Livestock Birthing and Genetic Reserch Centre in Lalitpur and National Cow Research Programme in Chitwan.

The project aims to develop a model dairy village in Kamalamai and to demonstrate the modern methods of cow rearing to other farmers' communities.

The cow kept by Ghimire is producing 28-30 litres of milk in a day which is expected to increase up to 40 litres in a day within a month or two. "This is something that we never expected. Local cows produce only 2-3 litres of milk in a day while a cross of Jersey cow produces 10 litres a day," said Bhola Adhikari, a local.

The cow needs about 5 kg of feed, 15 kg of green grass and 7 kg of dry grass in a day. According to farmers they have spent about Rs. 175,000 in the past 13 months to rear a cow. However, the cost could be recovered in the next  four or five months. 

Mayor Pokharel said that the milk production in the municipality next year is expected to reach 250,000 litres a month.

The municipality is working on a plan to create a value chain, diversify milk products and make it self-reliant in this sector. Of about 5,500 families here, 3,000 to 4,000 are involved in agriculture.

"We are in discourse with the Dairy Development Corporation and Sujal Dairy to manage the market for the milk produced here and other milk products," said Pokharel.

Meanwhile, farmers are expecting to earn about Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 a month from a single cow.  It will make some visible impacts on the local economy, livestock development and farmers' lifestyle. They will have more economic resources at their disposal and can further expand their farm and farming.

Secretary Dr. Poudel praised the progress of the Milky Way Project and said that the MoFALD felt a need for this programme should be replicated in many other areas across the country.

"A mechanism should be created to address the problems of farmers in animal husbandry, and MoALD is ready to support in financing, marketing and entrepreneurship development," he said, "We can learn more from the Korean practice and progress in this sector."

Likewise, Ambassador Tae-Young termed the calf handover a historic moment.

"This event happened while Nepal and South Korea are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," he said.

He also stated that this is the first case to walk with Nepali farmers and Korean experts and Korea expected to make this relationship a sustained one. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 16 February 2024.