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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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Subject: Agricultural Economics × Author: KAU × Author: Sreejith, T K × End date: 1994 × Start date: 1994 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Economics of milk production in the Thrissur district
    (Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1994) Sreejith, T K; KAU; Prabhakaran, T
    etc. The study entitled “Economics of milk production in the Thrissur district” was undertaken to study the economics of the milk production , to work out the income elasticities, to understand the marketing channels for milk and to work out the resource use efficiency in milk production with regard to certain explanatory variables such as labour cost, cost of oil cake, compound feed, straw and other types of feeds fed per day. The study was conducted using primary and secondary sources of data. Production, consumption and prices of milk and major inputs used in the production of milk for the state as a whole were analysed using secondary data. Engel functions were fitted to estimate income elasticities by taking expenditure on milk and milk products by the various monthly per capita expenditure groups. Primary data pertaining to socio-economic characteristics, livestock position, production and marketing aspects, feeding, labour and other expenses and details of cash farm income from milk, consumption pattern of milk and major sale outlets for milk were collected with the help of structured schedule from 120 sample households selected by multi-stage random sampling method. In addition to tabular analysis, functional relationship between milk yield and relevant variables were studied by fitting Cobb-Douglas production function for one lactational period. The study revealed that the overall milk production in Kerala was increasing over the years. The milk production of crossbred cows was also increasing but that of the non-descript cows was also increasing but that of the non-descript cows showed a fluctuating trend over the last 10 years. The Engel function fitted using the National Sample Survey (NSS) data on milk and milk products in Kerala showed that the income elasticities estimated for the function (log-linear) was lower than unity, but positive, in the 38th and the 43rd rounds of NSS for rural as well as urban households. This revealed that the expenditure incurred on these items increased less than proportionate to their incomes. The rise in prices of these commodities between the two periods might have led consumers to spend proportionately less of their income during 1987-88 compared to the amount spent during 1983 although aggregate expenditure increased from 1983 to 1987-88. The economics of milk production revealed that the major cost involved for maintaining a cow-in-milk was feed cost followed by labour cost, veterinary and miscellaneous charges. The farm returns increased with increase in output among the sample households. Though the farm returns did not cover the total cost incurred by the households, it covered the feed cost and other cash costs incurred by the producers. The study also revealed that except those households with low productive animals all others were making gross profit from dairying but the net profit was negative among almost all households. The importance of milk co-operatives and their effective and dominant role in the marketing of milk has been confirmed by this study. The production function analysis carried out showed the scope for increasing the efficient use of various resources. Hence it is recommended that in order to enhance the milk production, farmers have to use the various resources more effectively and efficiently… On account of limitation of resources the sampling design followed in this study did not include the lactation stage of the animals as one of the sampling criteria, and each sample household was contacted only once and the data often relate to the period just prior to the investigation date. So the cost of production studies should be considered only as an indicative of average pattern prevailing. The observations may also suffer from biases in the secondary data.