AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF DAIRY SECTOR IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MILK PRODUCTION

Dairying is the potential source of additional income of the people of Jammu and Kashmir State, especially for the rural people. This is considered an effective instrument for improving the economic conditions of rural families, particularly those of the small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers. Besides increasing the income of the people, this sector helps in increasing the crop production by providing the drag power and organic manure on regular basis. Therefore reliance on the dairy sector has become an inevitable process in J&K economy. This sector not only generates income and employment in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but also supplements the varied nutritional requirements of the individuals. Milk production in Jammu and Kashmir is steadily increasing from 2245.26 thousand MTs in 2014-15 to 2400.47 thousand MTs in 2015-16. There is 7 percent increase in the production of milk in the State from 2014-15 to 2015-16. The per capita milk consumption is 378 grams per day, which is well above the national average of 256 grams.