Technical, funding issues hit support scheme
PANAJI
Goa’s dairy farmers are facing mounting distress as subsidy payments under the State’s milk support scheme have been stalled for nearly six months.
The delay, attributed to technical and financial hurdles within the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (DAH&VS), has left thousands of milk producers struggling to sustain operations.
The scheme provides farmers with a subsidy amounting to 40 per cent of the price of milk sold through cooperative societies. However, since mid-year, payments have been irregular or absent altogether, and farmers say repeated complaints to the department have yielded little clarity.
“We are told the government has no funds. For months now, our bills have been pending,” said Rajesh Phaldesai, former chairman of Goa Dairy.
He added that while some farmers have been waiting four to five months, most have not received subsidies for six months.
Earlier this year, Cooperation Minister Subhash Shirodkar had assured farmers that payments would be cleared by July. Yet, with no disbursements since then, producers warn the dairy industry is sliding into crisis.
“The sector is at a standstill,” Phaldesai said.
Farmers explained that after selling milk to cooperative societies, they submit bills to the department, which calculates the subsidy. Payments are then transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts through Aadhaar-linked transfers.
DAH&VS officials now claim that technical glitches in the Aadhaar-based system have caused delays. A senior department official insisted the scheme has not been discontinued.
“The grants are being processed through banks. There are some errors in Aadhaar-based transfers, but everything will be paid by next week,” the official said. He noted that last year, subsidies were disbursed before Chaturthi, and assured that the backlog would soon be cleared.
Despite these assurances, farmers remain sceptical. With rising input costs and no subsidy cushion, many say they are struggling to keep their herds and businesses afloat.
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Goa has over 16K dairy farmers
PANAJI: There are around 16,777 dairy farmers active in the State, of which 16,233 are registered with the Goa State Milk Producers Union, popularly called Goa Dairy. The remaining 544 farmers are registered with SUMUL.
