Challenges and Strategies for Sustainable Dairy Farming in India
Noone Sai Ram1 and M. Nithya Quintoil2,
1Research Scholar; Department of Livestock Products Technology
2Assistant Professor; Department of Veterinary Public Health,
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Puducherry, INDIA.
Email: sairamnoone97@gmail.com
Keywords: Sustainable Dairy Farming, Challenges, Strategies, Clean Milk Production, Biogas, Digitalization, Green fodder and Crossbreeding
Introduction
India is the largest dairy producer in the world and globally accounting for around 22% of the world milk production. In India, dairy is one of the important occupation and has significant role in improving socio-economic development of rural landless people. Over the years dairy industry in India has witnessed a sea change from a largely unorganized activity into a blooming organized industry. Dairying in India has traditionally been a small holders enterprise. Now a days the demand for milk and milk product is increasing tremendously, which leads to the development of newer technologies in commercial scale to tap the market opportunities. India also has the distinction to be the lowest cost milk producer in the world. India ranks first in milk production with a production level of 209.96 million tonnes milk during the year 2020-2021. The state now has the highest per capita milk availability in the country at 1,181 gram per day against the national average of 427 gram. India has a large number of indigenous cattle breeds, including breeds favored for milk production, those favored for draught purposes, and multiple-purpose breeds, most indigenous cattle are of mixed, nondescript breeds, but the most productive dairy breeds include Sahiwal and Red Sindhi.
Challenges faced by the dairy farmers in India
Challenges like health related issues, institutional issues (insufficient extension and training services), policy and socio-economic issues, environmental issues and marketing linkage issues. Hot weather and heat stress, lack of green fodder, high cost of concentrate, weak infrastructure and cold chain are all some of other disadvantages.
Chemical contaminants and antibiotic residues in milk as threat
The continuous urbanization as well as industrial development has led to an increase in the accumulation of xenobiotics especially heavy metals. The contamination leads to human health issue particularly, transmitting it into human body via food chain. Milk and most of the dairy products are likely to be exposed to heavy metal contamination. Previous investigations revealed that number of heavy metals in different types of dairy products might pose a serious health issues for humans and animals. Therefore, it is essential to monitor milk and milk products for the presence of heavy metals periodically. As such heavy metals are not part of composition of milk but they can occur in milk because of human activities such as industrial and agricultural processes, which resulted in an increase in concentration of heavy metals in air, water and soil. Lead finds its way in food systems through petroleum industry, batteries, ammunition and X-ray shielding devices. The accumulation of toxic metals such as cadmium and Lead in ruminant animals is mainly from fodder, which grows on contaminated soil. Such accumulation of heavy metals not only have pernicious effect on the cattle, but also on the human population via consumption of contaminated milk and meat. Cadmium (Cd) is generally present in soil and it comes into food system through the wastes of coal, batteries and metal industries and also through usage of phosphate fertilizers. The presence of antibiotics and their metabolites in milk and dairy products possess a serious health concern because of their harmful effects on human health. In a study it was found that (in Hyderabad) out of 205 milk samples analyzed, 9% of market samples and 73% of individual animal milk samples contained oxytetracycline residues. It was also found that the oxytetracycline residues affect curd setting, the extent depending on the amount of residue in milk. In an earlier study in India, streptomycin residues were detected in milk and milk products.
Poor microbiological quality of milk and milk products
Biological hazards include pathogenic microorganisms and their associated toxic products, e.g., mycotoxins and biogenic amines. It is very difficult to monitor and maintain the hygiene practices of milk production, especially in underdeveloped and rural areas. Moreover, it was previously reported that the incidence of contamination by certain pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Coxiella burnetii is higher in dairy products made from raw milk than those made from pasteurized or heat-treated milk. Outbreaks were reported in some countries using fermented dairy products and a large number of people still get infected every day. Clostridium botulinum is the most serious pathogenic contamination which produces neurotoxic proteins (botulinum toxins) which are considered as one of the most lethal substances.
Figure 1. Types of contaminants of milk and milk products and their sources: (1) biological, e.g., pathogens and their toxins; (2) chemical, e.g., veterinary drug residues, food additives, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and chemical from packaging material
Excessive grazing pressure on marginal and small community lands resulting in complete degradation of land
Grazing lands in the dry zones of the country are the main source of fodder for ruminants. Due to urbanization and higher livestock population the grazing lands are declining. The rehabilitation of existing grazing lands with improved pasture grasses is one of the options to increase the productivity of these lands and ruminant production which provides livelihood security in an eco-friendly manner. In dry areas, scarcity of fodder during summer possess a serious threat and supplementary feeding of concentrate, conserved fodder and tree leaves to animals will alleviate the negative effects of feed scarcity. Shrinkage of grazing lands, increase in livestock population, over grazing and soil erosion and ecological degradation and long dry spell (8-9 months) are main constraints to dairy farmers.
Extinction of the indigenous breeds of cattle due to indiscriminate use of crossbreeding programme to enhance milk production
Crossbreeding with exotic breeds, economically less viable, loosing utility, reduction in herd size and mechanization of agricultural operation leads to depletion of native breed of cattle. The conservation of native breeds are very important hence it is a source of genetic insurance, scientific study, part of our ecosystem, cultural and ethical requirements and for energy sources. The indigenous breeds of cattle posses various unique characteristics such as the presence of unique genetic variation in HSP70 gene and presence of A2 allelic variant in cow milk, which makes them well adapted to the tropical climate. In India because of the low genetic potential of the cattle, the cost of milk production is high and the milk yield is not satisfactory (Kumawat et al., 2016), this may lead to farmers stopping dairy business. Hence, the financial incentives of the government will encourage the dairy farming business.
Disease Prevention and Control
To increase the productivity of the milk animal must be in good health. There are many distant area where the proper veterinary services and animal hospitals and are not available. Low reproductive performance, high incidence of repeat breeding and indiscriminate breeding are the major constraints observed in cross breed animals. Mastitis and subclinical mastitis major threat and causes wastage, undesirable milk quality and it is emerging as a major challenge among the others (like breeding problems, nutrition management, control of infectious, tick-borne, blood and internal parasitic diseases) in dairy cows. Subclinical mastitis was found more important in India (varying from 10–50% in cows and 5–20% in buffaloes) than clinical mastitis (1–10%). In India, during monsoon season subclinical mastitis was more prone than in summer, prevalence increased with higher lactation number. Tt was found that the prevalence of clinical mastitis was significantly higher in Holstein–Friesian crossbred cows, followed by Jersey crossbred, Red Kandhari and Deoni, respectively.
Export of quality feed ingredients particularly cakes under the liberalization policy
The liberalization of the dairy industry is likely to be exploited by multi-nationals. They will be interested in manufacturing milk products which yield high profits. It will create milk shortage in the country adversely affecting the consumers demand.
Price Management
There is no standard pricing system in Indian dairy market mainly in rural India and in unorganized sector. Generally dairy farmers do not get fair price their milk and milk products which result in economic loss of dairy farmers.
Other threats like
Introduction of foreign products in Indian market. Deficiency of molasses, a rich source of energy and binding agent in feed industry and constituent of urea molasses mineral lick.
Strategies for sustainable dairy farming:
Digitalization in milk procurement
The major benefits of digitalizing includes reduction in costs up to 90 percent while improving the turnaround time multifold. Real-time reports and dashboards empower managers to address problems before they become critical. The milk collection centre gives daily receipt of milk information through message. Digitalization carries in the ease of operations, optimum resource utilizations, scope for innovation, savings in terms of time, reduced cost, optimal supply chain and high employee productivity, leading to high custom satisfaction and preeminent revenues.
Awareness of the beneficial role of milk and milk products
Growing awareness of the beneficial role of milk and milk products in maintaining human health will demand the development of a new range of functional foods. Fermented dairy products contain a wide range of nutrients that are necessary for human health as well as protection from malnourishment, e.g., proteins, vitamins, conjugated linoleic acid, bioactive peptides, and minerals. Some of these nutrients result from the action of the microorganisms in the fermented dairy products.
Biogas
As India is the largest producer of milk and cattle dung in the world. India has immense opportunity to increase the use of biogas digesters. Biogas is a source of renewable energy generated from the organic wastes of animals. Cattle dung is the major source of animal waste used in rural India to generate biogas. Some empirical studies on biogas revealed that cattle dung generated at the dairy farm is the best raw material input for the biogas plant. However combination of dairy farming with a biogas plant is more profitable for rural households. Biogas production is the most effective technique to dispose dairy farming waste.
Strategies to overcome mastitis
Post-milking teat dipping reduces the incidence of mastitis while dry cow therapy reduces the reservoir problem. Hygienic milking practice would also decrease exposure. Many kits available for early detection of sub-clinical mastitis such as California mastitis kit, TANUCHECK mastitis kits, which can be easily used for early detection of mastitis by assessing somatic cell count in milk.
Clean milk production (CMP)
Clean milk can be defined as milk coming from healthy milch animal possessing normal flavour, devoid of dirt and filth containing permissible limit of bacteria and essentially free from adulterants, pathogens, various toxins, abnormal residues, pollutants and metabolites. The milk quality is determined by aspects of composition and hygiene of milk, where breeding, feeding, management of healthcare, fodder production, and many such facts mainly influence the compositional quality. In India fast deterioration in milk quality has been observed by the time it reaches from milk producer to processing plant. One of the major factors for low export of our dairy products has been the quality and safety aspects of the raw milk. Consumers all over the world have become quality conscious and prefer high quality products. The CMP involves thorough cleanliness at all phases of handling and stringent quality control and hygienic measures have to be adopted at farm level.
Strategies to over come over grazing and feed scarcity
Conservation and propagation of existing grasses pastures and fodder tree require priority for ruminants. Further grazing of animals as per carrying capacity and rotational grazing may be followed for best utilization of resources. Combination of legume and grasses in pasture is always good, but they should be compatible to each other. The available grazing land systems for ruminants are not sustainable mainly due to inadequate supply of feed and fodder round the year. Excess forages/pasture grasses should be conserved as hay or silage for use during the lean period. Too frequent grazing is detrimental at the same time only occasional grazing is also not good and therefore, there is a need of appropriate grazing strategies. hydroponic fodder production which provides year-round supply of fresh green fodder while using minimal labour, land, water and space. It is one of the emerging technologies widely adopted in many parts of the world and proved as the most feasible and easily adoptable one for improving the growth and reproduction in farm animals.
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| Silage | Baled Hay |
| https://pediaa.com/difference-between-hay-and-silage/ | |
Others strategies
- There is a need to provide the basic infrastructural facilities to the rural farmers such as availability of training institute, dairy equipments facilities, milk testing facilities, milk storage and preservation facilities, disease diagnostic facilities in their resident area so that they farmers run their enterprise in a better way.
- Organizing animal welfare camps, awareness camps, regular technical guidance about scientific breeding, feeding, healthcare and management practices through radio, television and other social media.
- Middle man problem should be clearly underlined in marketing and direct sales should be encouraged (One to one sales/ door to door sale).
- Loss of animal is the biggest issue faced by the farmers during outbreak/ accident/ natural calamities. Hence, knowledge about livestock insurance should be made among the farmers which will compensate the loss.
Conclusion
Awareness programmes should be conducted and knowledge enrichment of dairy farmers especially in the areas like livestock insurance, hydroponic green fodder cultivation techniques, silage production, vaccination, deworming, early detection of sub-clinical mastitis and clean milk production can lead to sustainable dairy farming in India.
