LOW PRODUCTIVITY OF INDIAN DAIRY ANIMALS: CHALLENGES AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES
Ponnada Sridevi, Violet Beaulah J, K.S. Ravali, Geetha Ramesh, Sabiha Hayath Basha,
S.Usha Kumary, T A Kannan
Department of Veterinary Anatomy
Madras Veterinary College, Chennai
Introduction
The dairy sector is a cornerstone of India’s rural economy, providing livelihoods to millions of smallholder farmers. Milk is a vital component of the human diet, offering a rich source of essential nutrients. It is particularly valued for its high calcium content, protein, vitamins (such as vitamin D and B12), and minerals. India has been the primary producer and consumer of dairy products worldwide since 1998 with a sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products. About 20.5 million people depend upon the livestock sector for his or her livelihood. The livestock sector contributes 4.11% of the gross domestic product and 25.6% of the agricultural GDP. The most significant number of cows in the country is 192.49 million and buffalo is 109.85 million. The contribution of dairy animals is widely recognized. India has the most important buffalo population, with the most important livestock in the world also in India at 535.78 million. World Milk Day was celebrated on 1st June whereas National Milk Day is celebrated on 26th November. Together days recognize the significance of milk for the health and well-being of an individual. Considering the biological value of milk protein, our traditional habit of including milk in our daily diet has been one of the most important factors that saved millions of our country’s children from developing malnutrition syndromes. Despite being the world’s largest milk producer, India’s dairy animals exhibit low productivity, which hampers the sector’s potential. This article explores the multifaceted challenges contributing to this issue and discusses various mitigation strategies to enhance productivity and sustainability in the Indian dairy industry.
Some challenges are mentioned here:
Challenges Although India has achieved remarkable progress in dairy development and gained self-sustainability in milk production, these achieved seem insignificant when viewed against the challenges faced by the dairy sector.
Small and Scattered Herds– The Indian dairy industry consists of millions of small and marginal farmers who have one to three animals. These farmers can not afford to keep large numbers of animals due to the rising cost of fodder and feed and due to the problem of management of large herds.
Investment– Negligence of investment in the dairy sector has hindered the growth dairy sector in India. Policymakers and planners in government agencies have underlined the importance of dairy farming in rural development but have not given priority to this sector for investments.
Research and Extension– Research and extensions are necessary for the development of the dairy industry but over the years the investment in research and extension has declined steadily. This led to a lack of new ideas and technology development for dairy development.
Price Management– There is no standard pricing system in the 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.
Dominance of Unorganized Sector– Only less than 18 percent milk is processed in the government, private and co-operative sectors and the remaining milk is processed by the unorganized sector. The absence of a regular and remunerative market for milk and milk products is a major problem experienced by dairy farmers
Genetic Limitations
One of the primary challenges in the Indian dairy sector is the genetic limitation of local breeds. Indigenous cattle, while being well-adapted to local climates and resistant to many diseases, typically produce less milk compared to exotic or crossbred varieties. The lack of systematic and scientific breeding programs further exacerbates this issue, limiting genetic improvement and milk yield.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Inadequate nutrition is a critical factor affecting dairy productivity. Many farmers struggle to provide a balanced diet to their animals due to limited access to quality feed and fodder. Seasonal variations and the high cost of commercial feed also pose significant challenges. Poor nutrition leads to lower milk production, poor health, and reduced reproductive efficiency.
Health Issues
Dairy animals in India face numerous health challenges, including diseases like mastitis, foot-and-mouth disease, and various parasitic infections. The limited availability of veterinary services and insufficient disease management practices contribute to high morbidity and mortality rates among dairy animals. Additionally, the lack of awareness about preventive healthcare measures among farmers worsens the situation.
Reproductive Problems
Reproductive inefficiencies are another major concern. Issues such as delayed age at first calving, long calving intervals, and low conception rates are common. These problems are often due to poor management practices, nutritional deficiencies, and inadequate veterinary care. Reproductive issues directly impact the overall productivity and profitability of dairy farming.
Inefficient Management Practices
Traditional management practices often lead to suboptimal productivity. Smallholder farmers, who dominate the Indian dairy sector, frequently lack access to modern dairy farming techniques. Poor housing conditions, improper milking procedures, and inadequate waste management are common issues that negatively impact milk yield and animal health.
Climate Change and Environmental Stress
Climate change poses a growing threat to dairy farming in India. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events can stress animals, reduce feed and water availability, and increase disease incidence. These factors collectively contribute to reduced milk production and higher vulnerability of dairy animals.
Infrastructure and Market Access
The dairy infrastructure in India, including cold chains, milk processing facilities, and transportation networks, is often inadequate. This leads to significant post-harvest losses and reduced profitability for farmers. Additionally, issues such as fluctuating milk prices, lack of organized milk collection centers, and poor market access hinder the economic viability of dairy farming.
Fragmented Supply Chain: The fundamental challenge in dairy is maintaining quality and quantity within a diversified supply base. Due to its perishable nature, dairy requires more complex supply chain operations and logistics to ensure freshness and safety.
The sector also witnesses adulteration practices and overuse of antibiotics to boost production.
Price Sensitivity: Milk producers are highly susceptible to even minor shocks. For instance, small changes in the employment and income of consumers can leave a significant impact on milk demand.
Unorganised Nature: The majority of cattle raisers are unorganised unlike sugarcane, wheat, and rice-producing farmers. This nature further inhibits the creation of political clout to advocate for their rights.
Data Deficiency: There is no official and periodical estimate of the cost of milk production. Even though, the value of milk produced outweighs the combined value of the output of wheat and rice in India.
Poor returns: There is no MSP (Minimum Support Price) for milk unlike 24 major agricultural commodities in the country including wheat and rice. Further, dairy cooperatives are not a preferred choice for landless or small farmers. The cooperatives adopt a fat-based pricing policy which is 20 to 30 % less than the price in the open market. Further, dairy cooperatives buy more than 75% of milk at its lower price band.
Competition from alternatives: Traditional cow and buffalo milk is shunned by some consumers for more eco-friendly alternatives like ‘Soy Milk’ or ‘Almond milk’. They believe that the carbon footprint of plant-based milk products is much lesser than that of traditional dairy products.
Mitigation Strategies
Genetic Improvement Programs
Enhancing the genetic potential of dairy animals through systematic breeding programs is crucial. Expanding the use of artificial insemination and crossbreeding indigenous cattle with high-yielding exotic breeds can lead to better productivity. The establishment of breed improvement centers and the use of advanced technologies like genomic selection and embryo transfer can accelerate genetic gains.
Enhancing Nutrition
Improving the availability and quality of feed and fodder is essential. Promoting the cultivation of high-yielding and nutritious fodder crops, developing balanced feed formulations, and encouraging the use of silage and hay can address nutritional deficiencies. Training farmers on efficient feed management practices and establishing feed banks can also be beneficial.
Health and Veterinary Services
Strengthening veterinary infrastructure and services is vital for disease prevention and management. Establishing more veterinary clinics, mobile health units, and training community-based animal health workers can improve access to veterinary care. Implementing regular vaccination and deworming programs, along with promoting biosecurity measures, can significantly reduce disease incidence.
Reproductive Management
Improving reproductive efficiency requires better management practices. Training farmers on proper heat detection, artificial insemination techniques, and timely veterinary interventions can enhance reproductive performance. Nutritional supplementation and stress management can also improve reproductive outcomes.
Modernizing Management Practices
Training and capacity-building programs for farmers on modern dairy farming practices can lead to better productivity. Promoting best practices in animal housing, milking hygiene, and reproductive management is necessary. Extension services and farmer cooperatives can play a vital role in disseminating knowledge and providing support.
Climate Adaptation Strategies
Implementing climate-smart agricultural practices is essential to mitigate the impact of climate change. Providing adequate shelter, ensuring sufficient water supply, and improving feed management can help animals cope with environmental stress. Research and development of heat-tolerant and disease-resistant breeds can also be beneficial.
Improving Infrastructure and Market Access
Investing in dairy infrastructure, such as cold chains, milk processing plants, and transportation networks, can reduce post-harvest losses and enhance product quality. Establishing organized milk collection centers and strengthening dairy cooperatives can improve market access and ensure fair prices for farmers. Government policies and incentives should focus on developing rural infrastructure and supporting the dairy sector.
The government should support start-ups that come up with a solution-oriented approach.
For instance, Country Delight is a Haryana-based dairy-tech company that is providing quality milk at consumers’ doorstep.
The milk undergoes 26 quality tests and farmers deliver it directly. This ensures good quality and optimum pricing.
The producers should be given the requisite support to enter into value-added segments such as ice cream, yogurt, cheese, and whey. These segments show profit margins of 20%, which is much higher than the 3-5% margin in the case of simple milk production.
The dairy farmers must be given a stable market and remunerative price for the milk. For the price, a greater weightage should be accorded to the quantity of milk than its fat content.
The government should focus on a hub and spoke model. Under this, the main farm (hub) should have integrated facilities for milking, feed production, and milk processing.
The connected farms (spokes) should have a basic infrastructure for milking and cattle management. The hub should also provide technical, veterinary, and training support to its spokes for inclusive development.
Conclusion
The low productivity of Indian dairy animals is a complex issue requiring a multifaceted approach. Significant improvements can be made by addressing genetic limitations, nutritional deficiencies, health issues, reproductive problems, inefficient management practices, climate change impacts, and infrastructure challenges. Implementing these strategies, robust policy support and farmer education can transform the Indian dairy industry into a more productive and sustainable sector, benefiting millions of rural households and contributing to the nation’s economy.
