In the rural sector, dairying and milk production is an important economic activity and has become a secondary source of income and employment. Cooperatives play an important role in animal husbandry and dairying sector, which contributes about one-fourth of agricultural GDP of the country. This study works out the cost of collection, chilling and transportation to arrive at economics of milk processing and manufacturing of milk products in Haryana by selecting milk plants from different zones in the cooperative sector. The economics of milk processing in Haryana show that procurement cost was found to be higher in Western zone which was estimated to Rs. 1.83 per litre of milk compared to Rs. 1.67 per litre in Eastern zone. Out of which transport cost accounted for maximum share (54.57%) followed by transportation cost (54.5 7%), chilling cost (24%), collection cost (17.1 4%) and reception cost (8.57 %). The other higher profit giving products were double toned milk and ghee which yielded profit over cost of 15.21 and 11.88 percent respectively. These products were followed by ghee at 11.88% (Rs. 39.54 per unit). The profit margin for paneer was found to be lowest at 7.76 % with cost of Rs 16.05 per kg. The information on the profitability of different products in Haryana is useful tool for the management to reshuffle the product mix of the plants on the basis of cost of manufacturing, profits and demand of different products.

Livestock sector, sustains the growth of regional economy. Adequate policy measures need to be established for appreciable growth in productivity and sustainability in the regional and farm level productions and in the processing sectors. Migration of people, tourism development, increase in population, globalisation, urbanisation, increase in the economic status of people coupled with the adequate measures from governments, the demand for livestock products is on the steady increase. The effect of price and income on the demand of livestock products and other parameters on their supply is analysed; the predictions are made for the next two decades and the gaps; thereof are indicated.

To be viable as an institution in the long term, gaushalas (cow shelters) must meet the needs of society by operating continually and sustainably. This study of 21 gaushalas in Haryana finds that donations constitute 74.19% of their total receipts and government grants 6.47%; sales generate only 20%. Sustainability is poor; to improve it, gaushalas should be made autonomous by increasing their sources of income from processing the by-products, distributing indigenous germplasm and products, and catering to social needs. The government promotes gaushalas, but grants should be based on standard animal units and distributed regularly.

Background: Diversion of institutional agricultural credit for non-productive purposes poses greater challenges to the intended goals of credit programs in developing countries. Understanding the causes of farm credit diversion and credit default is crucial for implementing effective preventive measures. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the extent of credit diversion among the dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu. Multivariate regression analysis and logit models were employed to analyze the determinants of credit diversion and default risk. Data were collected in 2023 through formal surveys conducted with dairy farmers. Result: Study conducted on 200 dairy farmers from two districts, Coimbatore and Perambalur of Tamil Nadu, India revealed that, credit diversion emerged as a concerning issue, with 43.00 per cent of dairy farmers observed diverting their dairy loans for purposes unrelated to dairying. It was observed that about 93.18 per cent of total investments in dairy were accounted by institutional dairy loans. Key factors influencing credit diversion in Tamil Nadu included the age and education level of the farmer, total landholding (ha), farming experience, dependency ratio, herd size and membership in dairy cooperatives.

The study conducted in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu has analysed the consumers’ consumption pattern and the factors moderating consumption of functional dairy foods (FDFs) based on the data collected from 220 respondents (160 consumers and 60 sale points). The study has used tabular and frequency analyses for consumption pattern and double-hurdle model along with tobit model (for comparison) for factors moderating consumption analysis. It has found that 84 per cent of respondents were aware of FDF foods, with television advertisements being their primary source of information. The average monthly per capita consumption was 3.6 litres in terms of milk equivalent quantity which was 33.43 per cent of the total per capita milk availability in Tamil Nadu. The FDFs are still in the early stages of adoption, with fortified milk showing the highest potential. It has also found that factors like income, price, occupation, dietary habits, family size and location significantly influence the consumption expenditure on FDFs. Addressing these factors could facilitate broader adoption and integration of FDFs into consumers’ diets.