Dr. M. Kishan KumarSHREE RAM CHARAN DASS2023-10-282023-10-282023-02-03https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810199818Exploratory design was selected to carry out a study on milk supply chain in Sangareddy district of Telangana. Three mandals in Sangareddy district and three villages from each of the mandal were selected to carry out the survey. From each village 10 numbers were selected randomly thus a total of 90 farmers and 10 numbers from each value chain actors i.e. middlemen, retailers and tea/sweet sellers and 10 numbers of consumers were selected randomly from the study area. Thus a total of 90 dairy farmers, 30 value chain actors and 10 consumers total of 130 respondents were selected randomly. The data was collected through a pre tested interview schedules and the data was classified and tabulated, processed, analyzed and interpreted. Majority of the farmers (71.11%) were middle aged group, having experience from 8 to 21 years in the dairy farming, majority (91.11%) were male and educated up to high schooling (33.33%). Majority (74.44%) of the farmers were having medium level of annual income (Rs 1.37 to 4.55 lakhs) and having agriculture and dairying as their main occupation. 42.22 percent were small farmers (2.5 to 5.0 acres) and their principal source of income based on agriculture besides animal husbandry. The farmers possessed small sized herds and most of them possess buffaloes than cows. Majority (61.11%) of the farmers housed their animals in loose housing system and maintained in kuccha type of housing. Majority (81.11%) of the farmers were practicing vaccination of their animals, deworming of calves (67.78%), consulting Veterinarians for treatment (66.67%). Majority (64.44%) of the farmers were providing the roughages, concentrates and mineral mixtures to their animals, but the farmers were not providing the feed and fodder as per the standards and as per the requirement to the animals. 53.33 percent of the farmers were providing clean drinking water to their animals. The mean cost of milk production was Rs 35.87 and Rs 27.77 per liter of milk for buffalo and cow, respectively. The net returns were Rs 13.51 and Rs 8.98 per liter for buffalo and cow milk, respectively. The feed cost observed as highest and followed by labour cost, fixed costs, veterinary, transportation and miscellaneous costs. The cost of milk production (Rs 35.87 per liter), sale price of milk per liter (Rs 49.38 per liter), net return (Rs 13.51 per liter) and benefit cost ratio (1.37:1) were higher for buffalo milk than cow milk. Five marketing channels in milk supply chain were farmer to consumer directly, through the middlemen, through the retailer, to the dairy co-operatives and through tea / sweet seller. Majority of the buyers were middlemen in the un-organized marketing of milk. The sale price and net returns were highest in buffalo milk in the channel-I (direct to consumer). The tea/ sweet sellers were selling the milk after value addition to the consumers with a market margin of Rs 62.79 per liter which was highest market margin, but the producer’s share in consumer price was least at 34.57 percent. The price spread was higher (Rs 29.50) in channel-II and zero in the channel-I in case of liquid milk, while the price spread was Rs 94.09 in the channel-V after value addition. The market margin noted as highest in channel-I and followed by 2.87, 2.03, 1.56 and 0.53 in channel –IV, III, II and V, respectively. The average milk production was highest (27.5 liters per farmer per day) in the channel-II and the milk consumption by farmer was highest (1.85 liters per day) in channel-IV, while the marketed surplus noted as highest (94.91%) in channel-II. The majority (52.22%) of the criteria for fixing the price of milk at the time of purchasing from the farmer was decided by the buyers. Majority of the milk was marketed at producer’s home/farm. Most of the value chain actors were between young and middle aged, and most of them were males, had education up to school level. The occupation of value chain actors was milk vending, having high experience of more than 12 years and had annual income of Rs < 3.00 lakhs per anum. Majority (40.00%) of the middlemen fixed the purchase price for milk from the farmers while majority of the retailers purchased the milk based on existing market rates. Regarding criteria for fixing the sale price of milk, majority of the value chain actors fix the price themselves and sale the milk/value added product to the consumer. Majority of the families consume more than 1.00 liter of milk at an average of 322 grams per day. Majority of the consumers purchased from retailers in the form of unpacked milk. The non-remunerative price for milk was the main constraint faced by the dairy farmers followed by involvement of middlemen, transportation charges for milk, cost of fodder and feed to milch animals, high cost of milch animals, labour problem. The results indicated that the farmer, who is selling the milk directly to the consumer, is getting reasonable profits. Milk bought by value chain actors from dairy farmers fetch them more profit, but the milk producers got little profits due to high input costs, lack of marketing facilities, lack of milk price fixing based on fat and SNF content of milk and labour expenses. It can be concluded that the dairy sector is a value chain based development activity in the study area in which milk producers, value chain actors and consumers are equally essential in developing the dairy sector.EnglishThesis