Scenario of Dairy Sector in Ri-Bhoi District of Meghalaya: Stakeholders’ Perspective

The study made an attempt to understand the dairy sector scenario through different stakeholders in Meghalaya. The cost of milk production, milk yield, marketed surplus, disposal pattern of milk and consumption pattern of milk and milk products were worked using the primary data collected from 20 dairy farmers and 24 consumers from the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya during 2020-21. The study found that the total cost of milk production in flush season was ₹176.48/day/cow which was higher compared to the lean season i.e., ₹167.21 /day/cow. The average milk yield was 7.11 and 6.21 litre/day per cow during flush and lean season with the net return of ₹176.00/day and ₹167.21/day during flush and lean season. The marketed surplus was found to be high in both the season i.e., flush (92.13%) and lean (90.97%). Channel-II i.e., (Producer→Aggregator→Co-operative→Consumer) was the most common channel (50.57 %) for the producer to sell off their produce. Irrespective of the income group, highest expenditure was incurred on the liquid milk which accounted for 83.96 per cent for the total expenditure, middle income group (80.24%) and the high-income group (53.15%). The average per capita monthly expenditure on milk and milk products was found maximum in high income group.