Commercial Dairy Farming In Haryana, India Economics and Optimal Size of Herd

Commercial dairy farming is a fast upcoming business in India. The focus of dairy development activities in India has always been production by masses rather than mass production of milk. This low input low output production system may be sustainable for the poor farmers but are not efficient on biological or on economic terms. With food crop production reaching a plateau in terms of production and productivity, declining feed and fodder resources, ever increasing urban demand for milk and milk products, there is an urgent need to consider dairying as a viable commercial enterprise to meet the domestic demand and to exploit export potential. Dairying in Haryana is an age old profession as an adjuct to food crop production. But now it has been well adapted by a number of farm families as a full fledged business. The study is an attemt to assess the viability of commercial dairying and the most suited herd size for it.