Dr. A. K. Singh, Deputy Director General (NRM), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi inaugurated the ‘Hydroponics Green Fodder Production Unit’ at ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Old Goa in presence of Dr. N. P. Singh, Director, ICAR Goa; Shri S. S. P. Tendulkar, Director, Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Goa; Shri S. Kulkarni, Managing Director, Goa Dairy; other officials of Govt. of Goa, Goa Dairy, progressive dairy farmers, scientist and staff members of the Institute.

Further, the DDG released the ‘Bypass Fat prepared by the Institute’ and distributed to the progressive dairy farmers. Besides, three extension folders ‘Technology for Production and Feeding of Hydroponics Green Fodder’; ‘Technology for Preparation and Feeding of Bypass Fat to Dairy animals’ and ‘Marathi version of Feeds and Feeding of Dairy Animals’ were also released by the DDG, ICAR.  

Dr. Singh, DDG visited the cashew and mango intercrop based fodder museum, livestock and poultry research farm and appreciated for the well maintenance of the museum and upkeep of the animals & birds. He requested the scientists to popularize all the technologies developed by the Institute among the farmers.

Dr. N. P. Singh, Director, ICAR Goa informed that ‘Hydroponics Green Fodder Production Unit’ was established at the Institute under RKVY Scheme in collaboration with Goa State Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited, Curti, Ponda, Goa, which has capacity to produce 600 kg green fodder daily, cultivated without soil and under fully controlled environment. He further added that this Institute has also developed a simple, pro-small farmer indigenous technology for the preparation of ‘Bypass Fat’, a specially formulated fat that can be supplemented in the ration of high producing dairy animals to increase the milk production.

Dr. P. K. Naik, Senior Scientist briefed the DDG and other delegates about the different stages of growth of the hydroponics green fodder and said that it is more nutritious than the green fodder produced by conventional practices. Dr. Naik further emphasized on the importance of supplementation bypass fat to the high yielding dairy cows in their early lactation and elaborated about the technology for preparation and feeding to dairy animals.