STUDY VISIT REPORT OF MEMBERS OF PCM OF GUJARAT COOPERATIVE MILK MARKETING FEDERATION LTD.

TO ISRAEL

Date of visit : 25th October 2012 to 2nd November 2012

GUJARAT COOPEARTIVE MILK MARKETING FEDERATION LIMITED., ANAND 388001

GUJARAT COOPEARTIVE MILK MARKETING FEDERATION LIMITED, ANAND INDEX Sr. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Particular List of Organizations / Farms visited in Israel List of Federation Delegation to Israel Objective of the Visit Programme Israel Dairy Industry Reproduction and Breeding Visit to SION Hachaklait Feeding Visit to Ambar feed mills - TMR Visit to Oshri farm and Harduff Farm Visit to Strauss Dairy Processing Plant and Market visit for Dairy products Visit to Afimilk ltd. Visit to Merokot Israel national water company Photographs of visit to Agriculture farm Study visit programme in Israel Galilee Institute Invitation letter Page no. 2 3 4 4-9 10 -12 13 -16 17 -19 20 - 28 29 - 41 42 - 49 50 - 55 56 59 60 - 61 62 63

1. List of Organisation / Farms visited Federation PCM members delegation visited ISRAEL and Dubai from 25th October to 2nd November 2012. During the study tour the delegation visited following organization / farms in Israel.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Oshri Farm, Milk Collection at a small private family farm, Kfar Vitkin Feed Centre and Silage preservation, Kfar Vitkin Mekorot, Israel National Water Company Kibutz Harduf, Organic dairy farm and compost processing Strauss, Milk Processing Dairy Plant Meeting with MGT Dairy Processing Company Super Market Basket of Milk Products Afimilk ltd. Dairy Farm Technology and Cooperative Farm Veterinary Services Hachaklait and visit to Cooperative Dairy veterinarian visit Kibbutz Yifat 10. Ambar feed center 11. SION Artificial Insemination and Breeding Ltd. 12. Vegetable production in small farm

2. Group members for Israel visit

Sr. Member Union 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Sabar Surat Panchmahal Gandhinagar Bharuch Amreli Kachchh GCMMF GCMMF GCMMF Bhavnagar Banas Kaira Mehsana Name of Participant Dr. Babulal Maganlal Patel Mr. Jayeshkumar Harshadray Desai Mr. Sureshbhai Govindbhai Patel Mr. Rohitkumar Gaurishanker Mehta Mr. Pashabhai Kashiram Patel Dr. Revabhai Patel Mr. Bharatkumar Rasiklal Naik Mr. Arvindkumar Dhagat Mr. Himanshu Pravinchandra Rathod Mr. Sanjaykumar Thakorbhai Desai Mr. Harishankar Ramshankar Joshi Aka Nandva Sanjay Pohumal Karamchandani Sandip Sopan Sankpal Bipinchandra Mohanlal Patel Designation Managing Director Managing Director Managing Director Managing Director General Manager Managing Director Manager General Manager Manager (CS & Admn.) General Manager (Admn & CS) Managing Director Managing Director Sr. Executive (Cattlefeed) Dy. Manager (AH)

Photograph of Group members

3. Objective of the Visit programme : Objective of the visit programme was to provide exposure to members of PCM on recent developments in dairy farming, using advanced concepts of modern technologies in high producing dairy herds and to dairy processing technologies at Israel. To achieve the objective, visit to Israel for members of PCM was arranged in coordination with Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI), which is a public, international management institute at Israel. It gives advanced leadership, management and capacity building courses to professionals from all over the globe. During year 2008 and 2010, Member Unions of GCMMF had sent participants to GIMI for professional course on Livestock: Dairy Farming, Technology & Management at Israel. Programme participants had given good feedback about the programme and GIMI and accordingly this visit programme was arranged in their coordination. Based on the visit, major understandings are given as under : 4. Israel Dairy Industry : Introduction : The Dairy Industry is one of the leading sectors in Israels agriculture, is spread across the country, and counts as one of the major agriculture activity in the rural parts of the country. It supplies about 80% of the Israeli domestic demand for milk and dairy products, while the rest is supplied by imports. The annual production is of about 1.3 million liters of cow milk, and the value of all processed dairy products reaches 1.5 billion US$. Since its early days, the Dairy Industry in Israel has been an important aspect in the development of the agricultural sector in the country. Dairy farming has been transformed into an industrialized system, creating optimal integration between the production unit (the cow), technologies and equipment (engineering), the operator (the farmer) and the production environment (the dairy farm). Producing more milk with less dairy cows improves the economic performance of the farm unit and also drastically reduces the ecological imbalance in the country. Integration of co-operative ideas has provided even the small farmer in Israel with technological access to modern and to up-to-date know-how, through extension services. Milk is produced by 970 farms, countrywide. The national dairy herd comprises of about 120,000 milking cows of the Israeli-Holstein breed. The breed has been developed by the Israeli Genetic Improvement system. The fact that the common Israeli milking cow has been selected from local breeding stock throughout generations brings it to be well adapted to the harsh Israeli unique environment: long and hot summers and endemic diseases. The Israeli Herd-book (DHI) receives and processes information from the official milk production control system, which includes 90% of the dairy herd in the country. In addition to production data, the Israeli Herd-book incorporates information from the Breeding system and from the Society for Veterinary services HaChaklait. Such comprehensive structure of the Israeli Herd-book, provides farmers with useful multi-disciplinary information, which is used for 4

databased management analyses and decision-making processes. Accurate information combined with the professional skills of the Israeli dairy farmers has led to outstanding achievements. In 2011, the average annual milk yield per cow was 11,667 kg, with 3.20% of protein (373 kg) and 3.62% of fat (423 kg). Dairy Industry in Israel

Types of Settlement Kibbutz: Much of Israels agriculture is based on cooperative settlements, which were developed in the early 20th century. The Kibbutz is a large collective production unit. Kibbutz members jointly own the means of production and share social and economic activities. At present, most of the Kibbutz income comes from industrial enterprises owned by the collective unit. All the Kibbutz dairy herds participate in the DHI system and represent 63% of the cows with recorded production. Their average milk yield in 2011 was 12,100 kg/cow/year and the average production of protein and fat was 835 kg/ cow/year Moshav : Another type of settlement is the Moshav, which is based on individual farms yet organized as a cooperative society. Approximately 75% of the Moshav dairy herds participate in the DHI system and represent 37% of the cows with recorded production. Their average milk yield in 2011 was 11,163 kg/cow/year and the average production of protein and fat was 773 kg/cow/year. The residents in both types of settlements are provided with a package of municipal services. The Kibbutz and the Moshav currently account for 83% of the countrys agricultural produce. Some Facts and Figures (Year 2011): Economic and financial data of Israel and its agricultural sector Population GDP per capita GDP of Agriculture Sector Share of Agriculture in National GDP Share of Agriculture in the Business Sector GDP Direct Employment in Agricuture as share of National Labour Force Self Sufficiency of Agricultural products - 7.77 million inhabitants - 112,060 NIS = 31,330 USD - 12.76 NIS Billions = 3.6 USD Billions - 1.6 % 2.1% 2% 80%

Marketing value of agricultural products. Value as received by producer (NIS million) Crops Livestock and livestock products Thereof raw milk TOTAL (1 US$ = 3.58 NIS) 17,104 11,298 2,883 31,401 55% 36% 9% 100%

No. of dairy farms, by farm type, and average annual milk quota per farm (x 1,000 ltrs)

2005

2006 843 555

2007 830 587

2008 811 648

2009 787 641

2010 774 672

2011 776 714

Family farms (Moshav) Number Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) Cooperative farms (Kibbutz) Number Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) Agric. school farms Number Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) Total Number of farms Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.)

855 560

176 3,747 16 746 1,047 1,098

167 3,859 15 781 1,025 1,096

165 4,156 15 810 1,010 1,174

165 4,451 15 866 991 1,285

165 4,241 15 848 967 1,258

163 4,408 15 865 952 1,315

163 4,728 15 906 954 1,403

Number of dairy farms and average annual milk quota per farm, by year

1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000

800
600 400 200 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Number of farms Average annual quota per farm quota (x 1,000 ltrs.)

Annual Milk Quota and Milk Supply Milk production in Israel is carried out under a quota system, where the annual volume is divided into monthly quotas. Economic incentives have been set to encourage dairy farmers level-up production throughout months, so that milk supply to the industry is more uniform throughout the year. The base price for the milk to the producer is agreed upon between government, farmers and dairy industries. The price reflects the average cost of production plus an agreed return for the farmers labor and invested capital. Dairy farmers are given annual quota for milk production and supply to dairy plants. Penalties are imposed for exceeding the quota. A committee of Israel Dairy Board members, Dairy Plants members and representatives of raw milk producer farmers determine milk quota and target price to be paid to raw milk producers. Cow milk - Annual Supply and Quota
(Millions of Litre) Milk Milk Supply Quota 1,126 1,124 1,132 1,124 1,128 1,140 1,174 1,200 1,154 1,170 1,122 1,150 1,146 1,150 1,150 1,150 1,124 1,130 1,166 1,185 1,273 1,212 1,217 1,220 1,252 1,240 1,338 1,313

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Milk Quality : A firm and constant policy was established by the Israeli Dairy Board in the 90s with the aim of improving milk quality. Economic incentives were set in order to lower the somatic cell count in the milk supplied to the industry and a threshold of price categories was progressively lowered along years. The farmers response caused the average SCC (annual average for all farms) to decrease from 428,000/ml in 1995 to 219,000/ml in 2011 (Data source : milk processing plants). Somatic Cell Count Quality Grade Premium Grade A Grades B, C and D Total Bacterial Count Quality Grade Premium Grade A Grade B Total Count per ml Less than 10,000 10,001 50,000 over 50,000 % of supplied milk 54.61 44.63 0.76 100 Count per ml Less than 220,000 220,001 280,000 over 280,000 % of supplied milk 53.33 37.93 8.74 100

5. Reproduction and Breeding : Most of the Dairy cows are registered in the Israeli Holstein Friesien Herdbook of the I.C.B.A. (Israel Cattle Breeders Association). Insemination is provided, irrespective of the cost & quality of the semen and is based on the guided by the database compiled over the years. The Holstein Friesien black & white cow is recognized as the most efficient milk producer in respect of total yearly milk-production in liters, fat and protein per kg Milk is produced by 970 farms, countrywide. The national dairy herd comprises of about 120,000 milking cows of the Israeli-Holstein breed. The breed has been developed by the Israeli Genetic Improvement system. The fact that the common Israeli milking cow has been selected from local breeding stock throughout generations brings it to be well adapted to the harsh Israeli unique environment: long and hot summers and endemic diseases. The Israeli Herd-book (DHI) receives and processes information from the official milk production control system, which includes 90% of the dairy herd in the country. In addition to production data, the Israeli Herd-book incorporates information from the Breeding system and from the Society for Veterinary services HaChaklait. Such comprehensive structure of the Israeli Herd-book, provides farmers with useful multi-disciplinary information, which is used for data-based management analyses and decision-making processes. Accurate information combined with the professional skills of the Israeli dairy farmers has led to outstanding worldscale achievements. The Israeli cow has the highest national milk production (cow/year) and milk solids yields in the world. In 2011, the average annual milk yield per cow was 11,667 kg, with 3.20% of protein (373 kg) and 3.62% of fat (423 kg). National per-capita consumption stands on 176 kg in fluid milk equivalent basis. Israel Cattle Breeders Association (ICBA) The Israel Cattle Breeders Association database is the hub for all information on dairy farming in Israel. All data are subject to logical checks, so that the dairy farmer and other end-users receive accurate and reliable information. The intensive computer application in Israeli dairy farming enables all of the entities involved to access the large database at a relatively low cost. Services of ICBA o Genetic evaluations o Milk analysis laboratory o DHI o NOA: Herd management Program o Extension and applied research Type classification Representation by ICBA o Government o Press

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The Israel Cattle Breeders Association represents all dairy cattle farmers in Israel. For the past 85 years the organization has been the sole representative of all milk producers in the country, taking care of all their professional needs and sustaining a vibrant and modern industry. The organization supplies essential assistance to its members and the satellite organizations connected to the industry. The pivot point of the organization is the National Herdbook, which is one of the most comprehensive herdbooks in the world. In 2011 the Israeli Dairy Herdbook collected information from 107,117 cows in 670 herds, 90% of the dairy cows in the country. The ICBA database gathers information and merges additional data from other related sources, and aims to integrate all relevant information regarding the Israeli dairy herd. This integrated database allows farmers, extension advisors, veterinarians, the Sion A.I. institute and others, access to controlled and accurate information. Sources and users of this system are listed below: Input sources DHI Milk recording is performed by two methods. In herds with > 150 cows (70% of the cows), recording is done monthly by an ICBA representative (A4 method), who records the relevant information on a hand-held terminal. On the remaining 30% of cows, the farmer manually records milk yield (B4 method) and sends the information to the central computer. For all milk-recorded cows, a monthly sample of milk is sent to the Central Milk Laboratory. Central milk Laboratory This laboratory, presently equipped with three FOSS analyzeinstruments, analyzes milk components (fat, protein, lactose, SCC, MUN and casein rate) in the DHI milk samples. This laboratory also analyzes milk samples from daily shipments to the dairies. These results are used to determine payment for farmers. A.I. technicians - Technicians of the Sion A.I. cooperative services inseminate 98% of the cows in Israel. All cows from the herds included in the DHI system have bar-coded insemination cards containing information on the cows and their pedigree. Before selecting a semen straw, the technician checks bloodlines of the cow and candidate sires, using a hand-held terminal. Inseminations are performed only if inbreeding coefficient is under 3.125%. Details of the inseminations are transferred to the ICBA database, via the terminals. National Service for Udder Health and Milk Quality The Udder Health database is located on the Israel Dairy Board server, and is regularly updated with information on all cows included in the DHI system. Bacterial cultures are matched to other information of the cow; including days in milk, SCC, milk yields, milking status, and calving dates. Results are sent to the farmer and the veterinarian, and merged into the ICBA database. Processing plants Samples of all milk supplied to dairy processing plants in Israel is assayed for fat, protein, lactose, and SCC. For each shipment, the dairies send the farmer a summary including the milk quantity shipped, fat and protein content, and SCC of the milk. This information is transferred to the ICBA database. Once a month the dairies send each farmer and the ICBA a summary of marketed milk volume and payment details.

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Interbull Three times a year a file of genetic evaluations of all recorded bulls in the participating countries is forwarded by Interbull. Information of bulls whose semen has been imported to Israel, but do not have local evaluations, is updated automatically at the central computer, and this information is distributed electronically to the farmers. Farms Approximately 85% of the cows registered on the DHI are located at farms that use a management computer program. About 94% of those farms use the NOA program that was developed and is maintained by the ICBA. The farmer enters data on calvings, cows that are dried off, new acquisitions, culled cows, veterinary pregnancy check results, diagnostic codes, veterinary treatments, etc. Once a month all information is transferred to the Herdbook database, and a series of logical checks is applied to correct mistakes. Farmers that do not use a computer management program send paper reports that are manually entered into the central database. Reports - Genetic evaluations of bulls and cows are computed bi-annually in conjunction with the Department of Ruminant Science of the Institute of Animal Sciences of the Agricultural Research Organization. Results are distributed to the farmers, forwarded to Interbull, and published on the ICBA Hebrew Internet site (www.icba.org.il) that includes an FTP server. Files including data on cow birth, calving and culling dates, milk yields and laboratory results are sent to the Udder Health laboratory. Files including data on cow birth, calving and culling dates, results of pregnancy checks and genetic evaluations, including the Interbull evaluations are sent to Sion A.I. Company. Milk recording results, records of the milk shipments to the dairies, results of bacterial analyses from the Udder Health laboratories, and genetic evaluations, including the Interbull evaluations, are sent to the dairy farms. Monthly summaries are forwarded to the Ministry of Agriculture extension advisors, feed centers, and regional dairy farmers associations. Files including milk recording results, diagnostic codes, and treatments are sent to the HaChaklait veterinary cooperative.

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6. Visit to SION - Israel Co. for A.I. & Breeding Ltd. To understand the Breeding and Artificial Insemination aspects of Israel, delegation visited SION. SION is owned by Breeders Association of Israel. It keeps AI Bull Stud in Israel and it has more than 250 bulls for breeding purpose. Selection of Bull: They choose young bull from elite mother (having milk prodn >12000 L/lact.) up to an age of 12 months. They keep new born, young bull, and elderly bull at different location and provide age specific ration to bulls from 3 months to 1 yr of age and veterinary aids and necessary vaccinations are carried out. Bull is brought to semen Station after attaining 13 months age for breeding purpose. Semen Collection/Lab. Testing & Storage: Semen collection is done 4 days in a week. A bull jumps twice in a week only. Other procedures like evaluation of semen, freezing & storage are similar to the processes being used in semen collection station of MUs of Gujarat, however they use a buffer Phosphate Buffer imported from Germany. They have high quality fully automatic Semen Analyzer machine SQA- vb , which they consider as heart of semen laboratory. They have Semen Bank with storage of 400 lakh semen doses. They maintain around 40000 semen doses of each bull. Parameters for Evaluation (for Bull): Fat % : 3.62 (min) Protein % : 3.20 (min) Calving Interval (CI) :421 Days Days Open : 129 Days Culling Rate :31 % Longevity : 1152 Days (after 1st lactation) Age at Calving : 24 months Calving Ease : 90.6 % Still born Calves : 6.3 % Milk Yield : 35.8 L/Day Conception Rate (CR) : For Heifers : 63.1% ; For Cows : 33.9%

Progeny Testing Program: Out of 11000 cows they select around 300 elite cows every year. Carry out AI with with 3 Best Foreign Sires & 4 Best Local Sires. Of the 150 Male Calves born in this system, they select 50 Young Bulls and carry out 1000 AI / Bull (i.e. total 50,000). Then they select 100 Daughters of each bull. Young bull daughters are mated & calved. These daughters are evaluated for various 13

traits like production, health, fertility, persistency, and based on the results, 5 proven sires are selected annually and remaining 45 sires are discarded. Inseminations : There are around 40 inseminators and each Inseminator has around 4700 cows. Each inseminator carry out around 40 insemination every day. They charge around 150 NIS ( Rs. 2250/-) for first insemination and 40 NIS ( Rs. 600/-) for second insemination. Their average is 2.5 insemination per pregnancy. Major Learning from the Visit to SION : 1. Centralized herd registration, record keeping and its analysis provides very useful information about the herd for breed improvement. All cows in Israel are registered in centralized Herdbook. Farmers are using animal management software (like Noa) for recording and transferring data. 2. All breeding records for the herd should be regularly updated in centralized database software. 3. Centralized data base should be online accessible to all breeders and farmers for their regular use. 4. Centralized breeding and insemination monitoring activity leads to rapid and desired improvement in animal breed. 5. Proven sires should be selected through Progeny Testing programme. Specified numbers of new bulls should be regularly put in the system every year for breed improvement. Visit to SION by delegation

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Automatic semen analyzer machine at SION

Semen Bank of SION

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Automatic LN level maintenance system in semen storage tank at SION

Memento given by delegation to Dr. Yoel Zeron, Director of Science and Prodn. SION

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7. Hachaklait Mutual Society for Clinical Veterinary Services: Delegation members had meeting with a veterinarian of Hachaklait to understand veterinary services system in Israel. The Beginning : Hachaklait was established back in 1919 by a handful of enthusiastic pioneer farmers. The vision they had was to combine a mutual insurance policy with comprehensive veterinary medicine. The initial motive was to protect valuable cattle, which were imported to a hot climate land, burdened with disease. Hachaklait was founded as a cooperative, which was owned and managed by the farmers for the benefit of the farmers. The veterinarians were contracted as the employees of the cooperative. From its small beginning with a few farms around the Sea of Galilee, Hachaklait grew hand in hand with the Israeli Food Animal Industry to encompass the entire country. Mission : Hachaklait is a strong and thriving unique organization both in size and philosophy, in the veterinary world. Hachaklait is a farmer cooperative, owned and managed by the farmers for their benefit. Basic goal of the organization is to give their clients the best veterinary service at a reasonable cost. Each farm pays a yearly fixed rate per animal in order to cover all routine and emergency medical needs and is entitled to purchase one year prepaid contract of laboratory evaluation. Thus, Hachaklait has a long term and stable contract with the farm, and is committed to the well being of the animals, and the sound economy of the farm. Services : Hachaklait believes in intensive proactive service at all levels: sick individual cows, herd health, prevention and control of infectious and production diseases, as well as food safety and animal welfare. Their vets visit each farm two to three times a week, and each cow receives several routine visits per lactation, to make sure she is producing at maximal efficiency. All cows are checked after calving for both clinical and sub clinical diseases, for reproductive status and before drying off. All the data from each individual cow is collected at the farm and processed by Hachaklait. Hachaklait has its own clinical research unit to perform clinical field trials in collaboration with local as well as international companies and research bodies Clientele : Hachaklait serves more than 800 dairy farms with over 110,000 milking cows, which comprises about 85% of the dairy cattle population in Israel. These are made up of 163 large Kibbutz herds and 650 smaller Moshav (family) dairy farms. There are some 60 beef herds with 20,000 dams and some 300 feedlots with 30,000 steers, as well as 200 sheep and goat farms. Personnel Thirty-six of Hachaklait vets serve as district practitioners throughout Israel. Ten junior vets operate as relief (locum) for the district vets and for special tasks. Some of their vets operate part time as consultants for: disease eradication and control (MAP, BVD, and BLV), clinical nutrition, dermatology, parasitology, lameness, young stock, ultrasonography, beef, feedlot, animal welfare, robotic milking and small ruminants. Hachaklait encourages the vets to acquire PhD, VMPH degrees funded by the Hachaklait as well as carry out mandatory monthly continuing education seminars.

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Pharmaceuticals Since almost all veterinary drugs in Israel are imported, Hachaklait handles registration, import and distribution of a wide range of drugs, vaccinations and equipment. In order to perform this task, Hachaklait operates a large and modern, GMP central drug warehouse. Being the major drug buyer in the country they can offer their clients drugs at very competitive wholesale prices. In addition, drugs are sold without any surcharge. They advocate low and rational drug use and prevention of drug residues from entering into the food chain. Hachaklait strongly believes that its the intensive farm visits routine and herd-monitoring activities that are the main cause of reduced drug use by their clients, low drug costs and increase in product safety. Major learning from visit to Hachakleit: 1. Veterinarians regularly visit each farms. All the visits of the veterinarians to the farms are planned visits (except emergency). This is useful to farmers and veterinarians for in planning their activities. 2. Veterinarians carry out Head Health Analysis every year for each farm. They carry out analysis of what actions they had advised farmers last year to perform, and out of that what actions farmer has taken. They also advise farmers about what needs to be done for next year. Such system could be implemented in MUs of Gujarat. Visit to Hachakleit Meeting with Veterinary doctor

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Handheld Computerized unit for data recording by veterinarian

Veterinary van of doctor

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8. Feeding : Israels feeding system makes use of relatively high quantities of agro-industrial by-products in cows diets, substituting costly imported grains while at the same time reducing the amount of roughage in the diet to a minimum. The unique Israeli diet, consisting of relatively high concentrations of energy and protein, allows the maximization of per-cow milk production, while keeping dairy farms environmentally friendly. The incorporation of relatively high quantities of agro-industrial by-products in the diet and the use of forages irrigated with residual water are easily carried out by using a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) as the predominant feeding system. TMR is provided to almost all dairy cows and heifers in Israel through large-scale regional feeding centres. Most of the forages fed to the Israeli cows are winter crops - mostly wheat silages grown during the rainy season. Summer forages - mostly corn and sorghum silages - are grown using recycled waste water for irrigation. Approximately half the concentrates in milking cows diets and almost all the concentrates in heifers diets are based on agro-industrial byproducts, originally from fruit, vegetable and food processing factories. Ambar FeedMills : Ambar FeedMills, the largest feed-mill enterprise in Israel, was founded in 1961 as a regional facility, jointly owned by the 39 kibbutzim that comprise the Granot regional organization, and collective moshavim in central Israel. Over the years, the list of owners grew and now, the owners are farming communities of three other regional organizations, a total of 148 kibbutzim and moshavim, from the Haifa district in the north, down to Eilat area, on the far south. Ambar owns two major production sites: Ambar Northlocated in Granot industrial area, and Ambar South near Kibbutz Dvir in the north-eastern Negev. Ambar markets over 830,000 tons of feed every year. Ambar produces concentrates for all branches of poultry, large and small ruminants and fish, mostly standard line, but also customer designed concentrates for ruminants. Ambars mission is to serve all sectors of the livestock, supplying optimal formulation of concentrates in term of economical feasibility and nutritional requirements. In accord to the poultry breeders specific demands, Ambar has launched a special feed mill, operating according to strict bio-security regulations. Ambars large-scale laboratory is equipped with stateof- the-art equipment, and is working closely with the nutrition department and production-line under strict QC procedures. Ambars shipping department operates a large fleet of the latest, clean and sterilized trucks. Ambar holds its own premix plant, producing vitamins premix from totally secured sources; the plant offers reliable and accurate vitamins and minerals premixes for Ambars concentrates, as well as to external customers. Ambar has 8 feed centers, located throughout Israel, produce and deliver TMRs for all branches of ruminants dairy cows, dry cows, heifers, fattening bulls, goats and sheep a total of ~ 250,000 tons/year. Ambars feed centers were the first to introduce to Israel the on-bunk-delivery TMR truck, and the unique TMR compounded feeds tailormade- concentrate method; 20

Visit to Shar Haamakim feed centre of Ambar Feed Mills: The delegation visited Ambar feed center to understand about production of Total mixed ration at commercial level. This feed center was Catering TMR for 4500 cows and it had Silage Storage capacity of 10000 tone/DM base All the required ingredients were available in the store and its mixing or batching was carried out as per as per physiological requirements of animals (manufacturing i.e. Pre and post-partum, mid lactation, late lactation, for growing heifers) and demand of farmers. Mainly a grinder (hammer mill) and a mixer was used for making a normal concentrate mixture. A specially designed TMR Mixer (having Straw cutters inside) was used for mixing weighed quantities of low density crop residue ( like straws, stovers, and bagasse) and the high density concentrate. Weighing and cutting of straw & its mixing was conducted through computer programme operated mixer. TMR was produced as per NRC (National Research Council) Standards. Proportion used for TMR : 33 to 35 % Roughages & hay, 55 to 57 % Concentrates (1/3rd Grains) for Ad libitum feeding Raw materials Used : a) Crushed grains (Corn,Wheat,rice) b) Sunflower Cake, Soybean ext. c) Cotton seeds d) Maize Gluten e) Silage (Corn,Wheat,Sorghum,Oat) f) Legume Straw (Peanut,clover etc) g) Hay (Wheat, barley) h) Any other human industry wastes to be usable i) Additives (Mineral,vitamin,Salt,NaHco3 etc.) Manufacturing cost/ MT: - 1020 NIS i.e.Rs.14200 Sales Price: 2 % margin on manufacturing cost After understanding TMR activities, delegation members opined that such TMR activities should be initiated in Milk Unions of Gujarat at the earliest. TMR may also be manufactured as per the physiological condition of animals. Major learning from visit to Ambar feed mills: 1. Use of Total Mixed Ration is quite relevant for milch animals of Gujarat. 2. Different types of TMR can be manufactured as per age / life stage requirement of animals. 3. In Gujarat TMR can be implemented at village level. TMR systems can be managed by village dairy cooperative societies. 21 Nutritive value of TMR (Lactating Cow) 35 to 42 % Moisture 16.50 to 19% CP (DMB) 3 to 7 % Crude Fat 1.77 KJ Energy 4.5 % Silica

Visit to Ambar Feed factory Chaffing of hay

TMR production unit

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Computerized control of TMR production

Ingredients of TMR

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TMR preparation at Kfar vitkin

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Silage preparation at TMR producing unit kfar vitkin

TMR distribution to cows in Oshri Farm

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TMR preparation at Harduff farm

TMR wagon mixer and distributor

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Storage of Raw materials for TMR

Silage at Harduff farm

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Members observing TMR at Harduff farm

Innovative cow shed gate locking system adopted at harduff farm.

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9. Visit to Oshri farm and Harduff farm : Delegation had visited Oshri farm and Harduff Kibutz to understand about animal keeping and milk production at farm level. Major understanding of the visit is as given under : Cow Comfort is of Top Priority for farmer of Israel Animal Health : Vaccination : a. Mother Vaccines: in which they vaccinate adult pregnant cows for Botulism, Rota Virus, Corona Virus, E-Coli, BVD, IBR, HS, FMD and Parainfluenza Diseases. b. Calfhood Vaccines: For Brucellosis, TB, JD etc. Young calves get passive immunity for all mother vaccine diseases through colostrum/colostrum Bank. Colostrum Feeding : For first 3 days feeding only colostrum @ 4 lits/4 hrs (2 times a day). Also, they procure from colostrum bank if needed. Milk Replacer : They feed milk replacer to young calves upto 60 days. Av. body wt. gain per day is approx. 500 gms. Naval Disinfection: For newly born calves using disinfectant like Tr. Iodine. Heat Stress Management : Provide cool air using foggers along with big fans to all the animals. Mastitis/Sub clinical Mastitis Prevention: By years of experience they keep their animals free (not tied) having only manure as bedding material animals has passed. The manure is ploughed once/twice in a day by tractor. By keeping animals free on ploughed manure prevent the growth of Anaerobic bacteria and Fungi to a greater extent. As such there are very less cases of mastitis / subclinical mastitis is reported after adoption of this animal keeping system. They periodically test the raw milk of each cow using CMT technique for mastitis detection This system of ploughing is also known as Harduff system in Israel as it was started by Harduff farm. Veterinary services : Farmers receive veterinary services from Hachakleit Vetenarian visits the farm twice in a week. He only check the various data viz. BCS (Body Condition Score), Animal Movement Data (recorded through Pedometer fixed on led of each cow), Milk Production, Fat, Protein, SCC, Bacerial load in raw milk etc. He analyse the data and give proper guidance to farmer for modification, treatment if required for an individual cow.

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Housing : Different types of sheds for milking, dry, pregnant and young calves. Height may vary for diff. class of animals. But, generally it is of 40 meter high roof with sliding panels on top. Each adult cow is to provided 30 sq. meter loafing area in a pen. Young calves are provided separate small cage. No extra bedding material is there in any shed of animals beside their manure. The manure is ploughed twice a day/once a day/alternately day depending upon climatic conditions. Feeding : Ad libitum TMR is feeded to cows. Different types of feed as suggested by nutritionist is provided to milch animals based on their age / stage. Watering: Water troughs are installed on just outside of each pen where an animal can drink clean water whenever it gets thirsty. Culling : Generally there is a practice of culling the animal of milk prod. <10000 L/lact. And the animal which exceeds 5-6 lactation are also culled. Stock Replacement : Generally 1/3 rd new cows are added in a farm. It means at every 3 years whole herd of a farm is replaced by newer animals. Cost of milk production : For one liter of milk it costs US$ 0.45 0.50. Out of which 60% imparts for feeding and 40% for other expenses. A consultant vetenarian gets 0.05% of the total cost per liter. Major Learning from the Oshri Farm and Harduff Farm visits: 1. Cow comfort should be top priority for farmers as it directly helps in increasing milk production. 2. Housing : Cow sheds should be well ventilated, with sufficient space for cows (e.g. 30 sq. meter per cow) to move around. It helps in keeping cows healthy and energetic They keep their animals free (not tied), having only manure as bedding material animals has passed. The manure is ploughed once/twice in a day by tractor. By keeping animals free on ploughed manure prevent the growth of Anaerobic bacteria and Fungi to a greater extent. As such there are very less cases of mastitis / subclinical mastitis is reported after adoption of this animal keeping system. This system of ploughing is also known as Harduff system in Israel as it was started by Harduff farm. In case of big cowshed, its roof can be used for generating electricity / heating of water by using Solar Panels 3. Feeding : Cow Feeding should be ad-libitum. Feed should be well balanced Total Mixed Ration (TMR) and as per age & stage of life cycle. Feeding should be as per guidelines of animal nutritionists. Clean drinking water should be available to cow for 24 hours. 4. Breeding : Cow should be bred through Artificial Insemination with semen of proven bull. Bulls should be identified in such a way that inbreeding is avoided.

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5. Calf Rearing: Calves may be raised separately by weaning process. They should be fed Colostrum for first three days. Then they should be raised by giving milk replacer and later they should be given age specific TMR 6. Animal Health : Regular animal health check up should be done thorough veterinarians for each cow to keep head healthy. 7. Record keeping: Record should be kept for, Milk production, Breeding, Health monitoring, Income from sale and Expenditure on various inputs. This helps in maintaining profitability of farm and for progress of farm. Following is a quote from Oshri farm owner, which clearly illustrate farmers attitude towards their cows: Farmer is cows servant. Cow should feel like Queen. If cow is happy, I am happy

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Visit to Oshri Farm

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Sensors fitted in neck of Cow for animal identification and data recording

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Visit to Milking Parlour

Waiting area outside milking parlour for milch animals

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BMC at farm level

Solar panels for producing electricity at farm level

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Animal cooling system

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24 hours drinking water facility for cows

Cleanliness of cow and size of udder

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Ploughed cow shed area

Plouging of cow shed area by farmer at harduff farm.

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Visit to Harduff farm

Milking parlour at harduff farm

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Different types of feeding and sheds for different stage of life cycle

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Special shed for new born calves

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10 . Visit to Strauss Dairy Plant To understand the milk processing activities in Israel, delegation visited Strauss dairy processing plant. Strauss group is an international corporation. For the past seven years the group has consistently achieved growth. Strauss is one of Israels largest dairy enterprises and serves as the groups global headquarters. Its Israels original Mom & Pop dairy. The companys roots were planted in 1936 by Richard & Hilda Strauss who fled Nazi Germany and set up a small family farm in Israels northern city of Naharia. Strauss has formed partnerships with Frances Danone ( 20 % share) one of Europes leading dairy, in order to upgrade its expertise in R & D, production and quality. Strauss provides customers with an extensive range of high quality products bearing the special dairy taste for which France is known. Plant capacity : The plant visited was built in year 2000, the erection cost was around 40 million US Dollar. It has fully automated plant and annual production capacity is around 65000 MT of dairy products. Dairy is handling 3.0 lac ltrs of milk per day from around 7000 cow. It operates only 6 days in a week. Plant is APV & - level made with 40000 sq. mt built area. Milk tankers have 30-35 thousand lit capacity with attached software for milk parameter checkups. (GEA Diesel, Germany) Volumetric flow meters are used to measure the raw milk while mass flow meters are used for the products measurement. The Strauss has used state of art technology. They have 14 packing lines. Strauss dairy have a staff of over 300 employees working in 3 shifts a day Products and processing : The company makes a wide range of products of cheese, yogurt, chocolate, coffee, ice-cream, candy, snacks, vegetables, pasta, salads, chilled and more. 60% of the fruits used in the products are prepared in the factory. Around 150 different products are made every week Following are the special products made in the dairy. Milky Cream Topped Puddings: Rich in look and taste with a low fat content Dany Puddings : Gamadim : Mini portions of sweet soft white cheese combined with fruit puree. This is special cheese line developed for babies and children. Calcium enriched, Soft Spreadable white cheese,

Sour whey generated from the various products is stored and feed back to the dairy farm for feeding of the cow. From anaerobic sewage methane is generated and used directly in the boiler, which can cut 50 % energy consumption.

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Dairy is making more products and due to nature of the product more CIP is done in the plant and because of this large qty of water is used. All this water is recycled and reused. Quality of Milk : Dairy is receiving all high quality milk from the farms in big milk tankers. SPC in the milk is 10000, Protein %is from 2.9-3.0 and Fat % is 2.9-3.5. Somatic cell count is less than 1.0 lac. Freezing point is also checked.

If milk temp. is higher than 7 deg C then it is rejected. Milk O Scan and other hi tech instruments are used for analysis. Pricing of Products : Israel dairy board is deciding & controlling the production of milk at farm level and deciding the all pricing of the milk and milk products. Major learning from strauss dairy plant and market visit for dairy products : 1. To produce better quality products, only good quality milk should be accepted at the dairy plant. 2. Milk should be tested for various quality parameters like SPC, Fat, SNF (Protein), Somatic cell count, freezing point, etc. and more payment should be given for better quality milk. 3. Innovative product packing ( e.g. packaged Toppings along with basic yogurt) may be implemented for our new products

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Visit to Strauss dairy processing plant

Testing of different milk products at strauss dairy plant

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Market visit by delegation for Dairy products

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Different types of cheese

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Different types of cheese

Different types of milk

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Unique product Cheese balls in Olive oil

Different types of yogurts

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Innovative product packing

Different types of fruit yogurts

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11. Visit to Afimilk Ltd. (S.A.E. Afikim) : Afimilk was founded in 1977, and it has become a global leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing advanced computerized systems for the modern dairy farm, and for herd management. The company, since its inception, has been a leader through innovation: afimilk introduced the worlds first electronic milk meter more than 30 years ago, the first pedometer to monitor cows, the first dairy farm management software and the first online milk. analyzer (AfiLab). These tools have enabled farm managers to improve performance and maximize efficiency, ultimately increasing profits. Solutions afimilk leading product line, is an automated modular system for intensive dairy farm management. The fully integrated software program, AfiFarm, collects information about each animal, builds a database and generates reports. This gives the farmer real-time information about herd health, milk quality and other critical factors, and enables well-informed decisionmaking. Entrepreneurial Assistance afimilk new division, AfiEnterprise, provides entrepreneurs and early stage dairy investors with the structural elements and technical components needed to establish a profitable dairy farm enterprise. afimilk is currently involved in the worlds largest dairy farm project, in Vietnam. To date, the project has been implemented in six of 12 farms with 12,000 heads of cattle. By 2015, 32,000 cows will be milked with afimilk system. The companys project team plans and constructs milking parlors, sheds, field crops and feed centers, and provides management. Major learning from visit to Afimilk : 1. Pedometer is one of the innovative product of the Afimilk, which keeps track record of walking of cow, and its duration of sitting and standing. Once this data are incorporated in the give software, it gives indication of cows welfare. Such products may be tested on pilot basis in our semen stations / closely monitored farm for further implementation 2. Afimilk provides consultancy for establishing large scale / industrialized commercial dairy farm. Experts from the Afilmilk may be invited in Gujarat for technology transfer training / seminars.

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Visit to Afimilk:

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Automatic milking machine with milk sample collection facility at Afimilk

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Quality testing of products at Afikim

Delegation members understanding activities of Afimilk

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Pedometer developed by Afimilk

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Cow with pedometer

Milking parlour at Afimilk

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12. Visit to Mekorot, Israel National Water Company, Eshkol Filtration Site The delegation visited Mekorot, Israel National Water Company on 28th October 2012 and learning are as under: Israel has annual rainfall average is around 435 mm per year. Which is less than half compared to Indias average rainfall of 1083 mm per year. However, Israel is known for very good management of its available water resources. Water management is very critical for supply of drinking water to human population as well as for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. To understand this water management system, the delegation visited Mekorot. Mekorot is one of the leader in water resources management, desalination, wastewater treatment and effluent reuse, rain enhancement, water quality, water security and water project engineering. It was established in 1937. It is fully owned by the State of Israel and it is responsible for supply of water in the state of Israel. Through continuous research, experimentation and field innovation, the company provides a reliable supply of high-quality water to a rapidly growing population, despite the regions limited freshwater resources, arid climate and difficult geopolitical realities. Mekorot supplies 80% of Israels drinking water and 70% of its entire water supply, operating 3,000 installations across the country. Israels sources of potable water
o o

o o o

Surface water: (from Sea of Galilee-Lake Kineret), approximately 30% of Israels drinking water supply, around 242 million cubic meters Ground water: (coastal aquifer along the length of Israels coastline; mountain aquifer inland; ~2,800 wells): approximately 36% of the drinking water delivered by Mekorot; ~700M cu.m. pumped per day. Pumping strictly controlled to prevent contamination by ingress of sea-water; recovery is carried out via 150 recharge wells. Natural springs: 34% of the drinking water supply Desalination: 31 plants with treatment capacity of about 1 million cu.m. per day. Reservoirs: Mekorot maintains a number of reservoirs for floodwater collection and aquifer recharge. Most of these are located in the South of the country.

Mekorot has processes for the management, operation and treatment of all types of water resources: surface water, underground water, brackish water, seawater and effluents Through various innovation it has become world leader in desalination, water reclamation, water project engineering, water safety and Its customers are 4,800 municipalities, local counsels, agricultural settlements, kibbutzim and regional associations, who in turn supply water to Israels citizens, farmers and industries

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Mekorots major activities are as under :

Water Resource management: Mekorot has developed processes that have succeeded in maximizing the utilization of Israels water resources, automating its treatment and delivering it to domestic, industrial and agricultural users. Water Supply: Mekorot supplies water to approximately 5,000 intermediary water providers, including municipalities, regional associations, agricultural settlements and industrial consumers. Water quality and security: Mekorot has established a nationwide, state-of-the-art network of water quality laboratories and sophisticated monitoring programs. Desalination: Mekorot operates around 31 desalination plants treating nearly a million cubic meters of seawater and brackish water every day. Its advanced R&D, experience and knowhow have resulted in desalination plants with an impressive level of water economy and automation while reducing their energy consumption and membrane usage. Wastewater treatment and reclamation: The systems established by Mekorot have given Israel the worlds highest water reclamation rate. The companys eight water purification plants treat 40% of all Israels purified sewage water, and its nine reclamation plants enable 70% of the effluent to be reused for agriculture, freeing drinking water for domestic and industrial use. Flow Catchment: Mekorot has developed technologies for the capture of floodwater in desert regions. Rain enhancement: Mekorots proprietary cloud seeding technologies and programs have succeeded in augmenting Israels rainfall by approximately 13-18 % annually. Model-based operational planning: Mekorot has developed sophisticated mathematical models and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) control systems that enable it to optimize the full range of its operations and planning activities. Advanced engineering and infrastructure capabilities: Mekorots engineering subsidiary, Electro-Mechanical Services (EMS), carrying out major infrastructure projects such as Israels flagship National Water Carrier and its state-of-the-art 5th Pipeline to Jerusalem. Mekorot has established a professional services framework under which it provides planning, technological consultation, engineering, outsourced operation, maintenance, project anagement and implementation services.

Entrepreneurship: To extend its technological leadership and continuously improve the quality of the water it provides, Mekorot actively promotes the development of innovative new water technologies. Through its WaTech initiative, Mekorot provides entrepreneurs in all waterrelated business areas with platforms for beta and commercial testing and supports them with a broad range of technological analysis and consultation services. 57

Water Filtration at Eshkol filtration site: Israels only source of surface water is sea of galilee. From sea of Galilee, Merokot lifts water to 215 meter height and then supply to its purification plants through 34km. long open canal network. They pump these water at night to save electricity cost ( which is less at night). Eshkol filtration site comprises of two reservoirs : a settling reservoir and an operative reservoir. At the settling reservoir the water passes through a series of treatments. In the first stage of filtration, all dirt, algae, etc. are removed from the water in sludge form by using PAC ( Polymer Aluminium Chloride) and specific type of male fishes. In second stage of filtration, water is moved to operative reservoir where fluoride is added in the water. In third stage of filtration is done with 2 micron filter using high water pressure technique in 24 ultra modern water treatment cells. In such pure water chlorine is added and supplied to national carrier for further distribution through local authorities. Surface water and desalinated water is mainly used as drinking water. Treated sewage water is used for Agriculture purpose. Based on the visit delegation members understood major processes adopted by Mekorot for water management. It was further discussed that water used in dairy plants in Gujarat can be purified and reused for Agriculture / Gardening. Major learning from visit to Merokot : Water used in dairy plants can be purified and re-used for gardening / agriculture.

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Visit to National Water Corporation

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13. Visit to Agriculture - vegetable growing farm

Storage tanks for fertilizers at farm

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Sprinkler system for irrigation at farm

Drip irrigation system for orchards at farm

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