Author(s): Dinesh Kumar, Latika Sharma, Hari Singh, Abhay Dashora, Dharm Pal Singh and Ashish Kumar

Abstract: Milk production plays a pivotal role in India’s rural economy by providing nutrition, employment, and supplementary income to around 70 million households. This study was conducted in Udaipur and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan, which have the highest bovine population in the region. A total of 100 respondents, including 80 dairy farmers and 20 market functionaries, were surveyed through personal interviews. Constraints in milk production and marketing were analyzed using Garrett’s ranking technique. The most critical production constraint identified was the high input cost and low milk price (Garrett score 65.98), followed by inadequate storage and transport facilities (56.85) and high veterinary expenses (Garrett score 55.00). In marketing, irregular payments from buyers were the most pressing issue (Garrett score 61.61), followed by unremunerative milk prices (54.83) and exploitation by middlemen (52.84). Other challenges included limited access to market information, long distances to dairies and lack of value addition opportunities. The study concludes that unfavourable cost-price dynamics and inconsistent payments significantly hamper dairy farmers’ profitability and sustainability. It recommends reforms in milk pricing, reduction in input costs and improvement in organized marketing systems to support dairy livelihoods.

DOI: 10.22271/maths.2025.v10.i7Sa.2098

Pages: 31-33 | Views: 882 | Downloads: 2

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