Sunday, September 16, 2018

A Malayali In Tasmania Gets A Rs 75 Lakh Australian Grant to help Dairy Farmers in Kerala




By Shevlin Sebastian

Last week, when Anoop Thankan, project manager of Green Grass Dairy in Cressy, Tasmania, was wandering between the cows in a grassy area, suddenly he heard the 'ping' sound on his smartphone. When he looked he saw that it was an email from the Australia-India Council. When Anoop read the mail, he let out a whoop of joy.

Thanks to his presentation, the Council had just given the company a $150,000 (Rs 75 lakh) grant to help bring Australian farming expertise to dairy farmers in Kerala.

On his annual visits to his home at Kottapaddy, near Kothamangalam, Anoop observed that the dairy farmers were decades behind. “They used outmoded methods of production and feeding,” says Anoop, who looks after 3000 cows.

He says 60 per cent of the daily feed should consist of different varieties of grass. Another 30 per cent should be proteins and mineral-rich legumes and shrubs such as moringa, hibiscus and mulberry leaves. “For the remaining 10 percent, they can have tubers like jackfruit and tapioca, or grains like wheat, barley or maize,” he says.

Anoop and Green Grass director George Rigney are planning to hold one-day workshops in Kasaragod, Wayanad, Kothamangalam, Chengannur and Thiruvananthapuram next month. The topics that will be discussed include farm management, forage production, soil management, animal health and infrastructure design.

Of course, since Anoop is in 17 Whatsapp groups of Kerala dairy farmers, he knows about the devastation caused by the recent floods. “Many farmers in Idukki, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam have told me they have lost all their livestock,” he says. “A few farmers have got back some of the cows but all the grass has been destroyed. Some farmers have lost their sheds and other buildings. We are trying to figure out how we can help.”

In the meantime, work is going on to develop a Green Grass App in Malayalam and English. “Farmers in Kerala will be able to access Australian videos and modules. They can also ask questions which will be answered,” says Anoop.

He pauses and says, “I just want to do my bit for my homeland.”  

(Page 1, The New Indian Express, Kerala editions)

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