Volume - Indian Dairy Association

19promoting and nurturing the grass root level participatory bodies all over thestate as the organic link between the animal husbandry department and thesmall holders. It should also encourage and promote adoption of appropriatetechnologies, enhance productivity, increase effectiveness, and ensure returnsproportional to the investment of time, energy and resources that smallholders, particularly women, make for livestock development andmanagement.1.16 Most of small animal rearers are landless, small and marginal farmersand there is a unique case of scaling up to maximize profits. Increasing inputs,product developments, processing and marketing is essential to realizeeconomics of scale. Formulation and implementation of innovative and boldpolicies and institutional mechanism specifically suited for different regions ishighly desirable. Milk cooperatives on the pattern of Gujarat (Anand) modelare not in place in many of the regions especially in rain fed areas and havealso not been universally successful. Establishment of models like ProducersCompany in the Companies Act will provide the advantages of retaining thebasic elements of cooperation while enjoying the regulatory regime as aprivate limited company.1.17 For achieving livestock feed security, the concept of establishing aNational Livestock Feed Agency on the pattern of Food Corporation of Indiaalong with the National Feed Grid has been mooted and discussed at variousplatforms. However, this has not been translated into action till date.1.18 Another important issue which is relevant for effective integration oflivestock is that of credit and insurance. Credit and insuring risks of differentkinds require unique innovations for coping with market failures and disasters.A total livelihood credit portfolio providing much‐needed credit facility ofresource poor farmers needs to be developed and implemented. Livestockinsurance though being implemented has not been scaled up to the desiredlevel.1.19 Some of the areas which require focus are:a) Increasing involvement of community organizations in decision‐makinghas become the common agenda of all developmental programmes thatare initiated by the government. However, in animal husbandry schemesit is more of a top down approach or target oriented schemes.Convergence of AH activities holistically as a significant component in