Scheme Name: Uttarakhand Fodder Policy
· Department: Animal Husbandry Department/ Dairy Development Government of Uttarakhand
· Year of Launch: 2023 (policy period 2023–28)
· Approval: GO No. 818/XV-1/2023-6(6)2010/ dated 10 May. 2023
· Geographical Coverage: Statewide, all 13 districts
· Status: Ongoing (short‑term interventions under implementation; mid/long‑term)
Problem Addressed and Objective
Year‑round fodder deficit in the State dependence on forests/CPRs and crop residues; seasonal green fodder shortfall and low fodder area (only 31.9 thousand ha under fodder crops).
Objectives
To mitigate the fodder deficit (green and dry fodder ), improvement in livestock out-put and animal health in the state.
Scheme Design and Key Interventions
Target beneficiaries: Small/marginal livestock owners, women, dairy cooperative members, FPOs.
Eligibility: Livestock owners of Uttarakhand state.
Assistance: Subsidised fodder seed/planting material(100%) ; capital grants for commercial silage units; support for community silage pits and fodder banks; chaff‑cutters; compact feed block procurement; subsidised cattle feed for milk‑fed members.
Delivery mechanism & partners: All AH hospitals, LEO Centers, Dairy Dept, cooperatives, KVKs, FPOs, JICA‑NPDD/NDDB/NCDC funding partners.
Financial Outlay and Expenditure
Planned investment: short/mid/long term interventions done by convergence with JICA‑NPDD/NDDB/NCDC, IFAD, and state sectors.
Key line items: Seed distribution (State sector ₹4.00 crore proposed); silage commercial units, Rs 4/kg for plain and Rs 6/kg for hills subsidy on cattle feed and 50 % subsidy on Straw used in Compact Feed block.
Current utilisation: Distribution of Seed, Compact feed & silage activities already funded under State/JICA/ NDDB/ NCDC/ IFAD streams.
Physical Outputs
Fodder seed distribution (target 5 years): Progress: AH: 1,294 qtl/annum seed distributed; Dairy Dept: 1,500 qtl/ annum seed distributed;. Estimated green fodder production from these interventions: AH 10.8 lakh qtl/annum; Dairy 12.40 lakh qtl/annum. Silage unit: 5 commercial silage bankers established; 2 silage baler machines procured; silage distributed (Jul 2021– june 2025): 34,933 MT; additional distribution figures show 58,230.06 qtl distributed through milk unions.Chaff‑cutters distributed: 300 manual and 20 motorized units reported.FPOs/ storage: 3 FPOs under NDDB established; two godowns completed (JICA/RIDF support).
Employment and Livelihoods Generated
Direct jobs: Construction/operation of silage units, fodder banks, compact feed units creates jobs
Entrepreneurship: Input for Dairy industries as green, dry and concentrate also emerging as self‑employment options.
Inclusion: Program design prioritises women/SHGs and dairy cooperative members; show significant women participation in silage and seed multiplication activities.
Ground‑Level Outcomes and Impact
Policy targets vs early results: Increase availability of Green, dry and concentrate to livestock owners of the state have increased local availability.
Livestock productivity: Field reports indicate milk yield improvements in demonstration villages where silage and quality fodder availability increased.
Implementation Challenges and Corrective Action
Challenges: Transport/logistics in hill terrain; Corpus fund of Rs. 10 cr. for natural calamities and emergency situations.
Corrective actions taken: Increase availability of high yielding certified seeds of fodder crops.
Present Status and Way Forward
Short‑ term measures (seed distribution, silage distribution, chaff‑cutters, initial FPOs and godowns) under implementation; mid‑term compact feed units in tendering/approval stage. Under long term 5 Lakh fodder grass slips plantation and increase availability perennial fodder grass seed and planting material.
