Assessment of Silage Adoption and Usage by Tribal Dairy Farmers of Rajouri District, Jammu and Kashmir During Winter Season
Parul Gupta
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-J, Tandwal, Rajouri, J and K UT, 185131, India.
Arvind Kumar Ishar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-J, Tandwal, Rajouri, J and K UT, 185131, India.
Suraj Parkash
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-J, Tandwal, Rajouri, J and K UT, 185131, India.
Vikas Gupta *
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-J, Tandwal, Rajouri, J and K UT, 185131, India.
Vishal Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-J, Rajhani, Kathua, J and K UT, 184101, India.
Rohit Sharma
Regional Agricultural Research Station, Tandwal, Rajouri, J and K UT, 185131, India.
Dibyendu Chakraborty
Division of AGB, FVSc. and AH, SKUAST-J, R.S. Pura, Jammu, J and K UT, 181102, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study was conducted in the selected villages of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir for the assessment of the socio-economic profile, knowledge level, adoption of silage production practices and constraints faced by the tribal dairy farmers. Most of the tribal dairy farmers included in the study were in the middle age group, literate having medium family size, dairy farming as a secondary occupation and fall into the medium milk production category. They were holding marginal land size and small herd size. Similarly, most of them had medium experience and extension contact. The tribal dairy farmers had a low-level knowledge of silage making and its use. Several constraints for dairy farmers hampered the adoption of silage production and utilization practices. Among the various constraints faced by the tribal dairy farmers, cost of the construction of a silo pit and silo bag is high and the main constraint (92.36%) which was followed by lack of knowledge (91.08%), quantity of silage to be fed (90.40%), lack of knowledge regarding the stage of crop to be harvested (89.81%), lack of knowledge regarding silage making (87.90%), unable to maintain the anaerobic conditions (86.62%), difficulty in the availability of the silage ingredients (87.26%), requirement of the labour is more (78.34%), lack of knowledge about proper storage of silage (74.52%) and unavailability of land for fodder production (61.78%). Specific training programmes on silage making technology could enhance the green fodder availability among the tribal dairy farmers of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Keywords: Adoption, silage usage, knowledge level, dairy farmer