JAMMU: Minister for Agriculture Production Javid Ahmad Dar on Thursday called for a sustained village-level awareness campaign across Jammu and Kashmir to prevent, detect and control mastitis among dairy animals, stressing the need for timely veterinary intervention to protect farmers from economic losses.
He made the remarks while inaugurating the two-day International Conference of the Association of Mastitis (AOMCON-2026) and its annual convention at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu), R.S. Pura.
Dar directed the concerned departments to strengthen field-level outreach and educate dairy farmers about preventive measures, early diagnosis and scientific management of the disease.
He said improving animal healthcare, milk quality and livestock productivity was essential for strengthening the dairy sector and the economic condition of farmers. He also called for greater coordination among universities, research institutions, government departments and other stakeholders.
The conference, organised by the Association of Mastitis in collaboration with SKUAST-Jammu, is being held under the theme “Advancing Mammary Health for Sustainable Dairy Production: Innovations in Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Clean Milk and AMR Navigation”.
Vice-Chancellor SKUAST-Jammu Professor B.N. Tripathi, who presided over the inaugural session, emphasised the importance of early disease diagnosis, scientific mastitis management and judicious use of antimicrobials to improve dairy productivity and ensure quality milk production.
He also called for stronger international scientific collaborations and industry-academia partnerships to address emerging challenges in animal health.
Former Director Research SKUAST-Jammu Dr N.A. Sudhan and Dean of Kangwon National University, South Korea, Dr Sung-Jin Lee, attended the inaugural session as guests of honour.
Lee highlighted opportunities for international collaboration and technological innovation in animal health and sustainable dairy farming.
During the event, the conference compendium was released and awards were presented to recognise contributions to veterinary science and dairy development.
Professor B.N. Tripathi received the Professor A.K. Srivastava Excellence Award, while Dr S.K. Rana, former Head of Animal Health at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lee received the Special Recognition Award.
The conference also featured participation from veterinary scientists, researchers, academicians, policymakers and industry representatives from across India and abroad, including Brazil, South Korea and Croatia.
The event was attended by directors of agriculture and allied departments, faculty members, research scholars and postgraduate students.