Low Productivity of Indian Dairy Animals: Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Low Productivity of Indian Dairy Animals: Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Dr Rooh Ul Amin

Veterinary Assistant Surgeon

Animal Husbandry Department Kashmir

dr.roohul@gmail.com

Introduction

India stands as the largest producer of milk globally, yet it grapples with the significant issue of low productivity per animal compared to other major dairy nations. Low productivity of Indian dairy animals is a significant challenge facing the country’s dairy industry. India is home to a vast population of dairy animals, with over 300 million cattle and buffalo (20^th Livestock census). However, the average milk yield per animal is significantly lower compared to international standards. This disparity stems from several challenges ranging from genetic factors to management practices. Understanding these issues and implementing effective mitigation strategies is crucial for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of India’s dairy sector. This piece of writing discusses the challenges contributing to low productivity and proposes mitigation strategies to improve the productivity of Indian dairy animals.

Challenges

The main challenges leading to low productivity can be categorized as under:

1. Genetic Factors and Inadequate Breeding System:Limited adoption of scientific breeding techniques, resulting in inferior genetic stock. A significant proportion of Indian dairy animals comprise indigenous breeds which inherently have lower milk productivity compared to exotic breeds (Lawan et al, 2020). While these indigenous breeds are well-adapted to the local environment, their milk yield often does not meet the growing demand. Late maturity in the majority of Indian cattle breeds is another common problem. Cattle owners don’t have a proper and effective detection mechanism for heat symptoms during the oestrus cycle (Diskin and Sreenan, 2000) which ultimately lead to productivity loss among animals. The calving interval (the time gap between the birth of a calf and the birth of a subsequent calf from the same cow) is on the rise, reducing animal performance as well. Diseases causing abortion, and mineral, hormonal and vitamin deficiencies lead to fertility problems, affecting the industry with respect to its prodcution. Birthal et al, (2008) estimated that more than 26% of the milk production in India was lost due to constraints related to animal health, nutrition and breeding.
2. Feed and Nutrition:The quality and quantity of feed play a crucial role in the productivity of dairy animals (Gauly and Ammer, 2020). In India, there is often a lack of access to high-quality feed, and the fodder that is available is frequently deficient in essential nutrients (Singh et al, 2022). This inadequate nutrition leads to malnutrition and directly impacts milk yield and animal health. With regard to the utilization of available feed and fodder, unproductive dairy animals compete in equal numbers with their productive counterparts.  Moreover, total grazing area gets reduced every year due to urbanization & industrial development. This result in the shortage of feed and fodder in the context of total demand, hiking up fodder prices, and resulting in inadequate feeding. This ever-increasing demand-supply gap restricts overall milk yield. Poor quality forage and lower purchasing power of small, marginal dairy farmers and agricultural laborers engaged in the dairy industry adds to the whole conundrum.
3. Health:Veterinary health care centres are located in places that are far off and difficult to access. There is a lesser number of veterinary institutions in proportion to the cattle population (20^th Livestock census), leading to inadequate health services for these animals.
4. Animal Health and Disease Management:Diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, and mastitis are prevalent in Indian dairy farms. For example, Singh et al. (2013) provide

estimates of losses due to FMD in livestock; Mahajan et al. (2013) due to peste des petits in small ruminants in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Poor health management practices, inadequate veterinary services, and lack of awareness about disease prevention contribute to high morbidity and mortality rates. Animal health can also be directly affected by climatic conditions leading to temperature-related illness and death. These effects might be caused by changes in the immune and endocrine system (Das et al, 2016). Moreover, lack of adequate immunity amongst cattle makes them susceptible to diseases which in turn affect productivity among animals.

5. Management Practices:Many dairy farms in India still rely on traditional farming methods. There is a general lack of use of modern farming technologies, which affects overall productivity. Inadequate breeding practices and poor record-keeping further exacerbate the situation. Many cattle owners do not provide proper shelters to their cattle, leaving them exposed to extreme climatic conditions and the vagaries of nature. Cattle shed and milking yards are unhygienic, giving rise to mastitis. (In this, the udder tissue or mammary glands get inflamed due to physical trauma or microorganism infections. Unhygienic milk production also leads to poor quality milk being stored and spoilage of milk and other dairy products (Dhakane et al, 2019).
6. Socioeconomic Factors:Smallholder farms, which constitute a large portion of India’s dairy production, face issues such as limited access to credit, inadequate training in modern dairy farming practices, and insufficient governmental support (Barman et al, 2024). These socioeconomic barriers hinder the adoption of innovative practices that could enhance productivity.
7. 7. Climate Change:Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns affecting animal comfort and productivity. High-producing dairy cattle are more vulnerable to heat stress (Zimbelman et al, 2010). Climate change will affect livestock production through competition for natural resources, quantity and quality of feeds, livestock diseases, heat stress and biodiversity loss while the demand for livestock products is expected to increase by 100% by mid of the 21st century (Garnett 2009).

Mitigation Strategies

The various mitigation strategies that incorporate effective best practices include following points which are described below:

1. Genetic Improvement:Implementing cross-breeding programs with high-yielding exotic breeds can be a viable solution (Ouédraogo et al, 2021). However, it is crucial to ensure that any crossbred species are still resilient to the local environmental conditions. Setting up regional breeding centres that focus on improving the genetics of local breeds can also prove beneficial.
2. Enhanced Nutrition:Developing and disseminating cost-effective, balanced, and nutritious feed options is essential (Erickson, 2020). This can be achieved through government subsidies on fodder and the promotion of fodder cultivation among farmers. Educating farmers about the importance of nutrition in dairy production is also crucial. Promote high-quality feed, and implement feed supplementation programs.
3. Education and Training:Scientific education and training programs on good dairy practices is the need of the hour and could overcome critical challenges faced (Haq et al, 2016). They need to be effectively marketed, to boost participation in such programs. Education and training for all dairy sector employees become essential to develop a sense of ownership, and to inculcate proper knowledge of best practices. Implementing such programs in the dairy sector requires strong, relentless commitment from the management, which at times could be a stumbling block. Bardhan and Tiwari (2007) reported that lack of institutional support in dairy farming in India were major source of risks related to low productivity among animals.
4. Health and Veterinary Care:Strengthening veterinary care facilities and ensuring that they are accessible to rural farmers is critical. Implement disease control programs like regular vaccination drives (Chand et al, 2018) awareness programs about common diseases, and training farmers in basic veterinary care can substantially reduce disease incidence.
5. Modernization of Dairy Farming Practices: Promoting the use of modern dairy technologies through government incentives can help in improving productivity (Okella et al, 2021). This includes everything from milking machines and scientific breeding techniques to better manure management systems.
6. Policy and Infrastructure Support:The government should enhance support for dairy farmers through more robust infrastructure, including better roads for transporting milk, reliable electricity supply for storing milk, and greater financial and extension support. Policies that focus on education and training programs for farmers can also lead to significant improvements in productivity (Sharma and Singh, 2014). The source of risks reported by livestock owners were related to marketing followed by institutional & policy, health and breeding (Subash et al, 2018).
7. Community and Cooperative Models:Strengthening dairy cooperatives can empower farmers by providing shared resources for processing and marketing of milk. Success stories like that of the Amul model show how effective cooperative efforts can be in boosting dairy productivity (Pallathadka et al, 2022).
8. Climate Change Mitigation:Implement heat stress management techniques, and promote climate-resilient breeds (Chand et al, 2018).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the low productivity of Indian dairy animals is a multifaceted problem that requires a holistic approach to solve. The low productivity tag of Indian dairy animals requires a sophisticated approach. . Overall observation indicated that livestock owner faced risks from different sources, viz. breeding, animal health, marketing, institutional and policy related. Further risk management strategies including better breed, animal health check-up, seeking advice of veterinary expert,  maintenance of farm inventory, accessibility to different financial, extension and government institutions etc were adopted to cope up with risks in livestock enterprise. The determinants of source of risks were significantly influenced by a number of socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The policy makers and researchers should see the solutions and options to minimize the source of risks in livestock production and management. By addressing genetic, nutritional, health, and management issues, alongside improving socioeconomic conditions through policy and cooperative efforts, India can enhance its dairy productivity. Implementing these mitigation strategies can improve productivity, enhancing the overall efficiency and sustainability of India’s dairy industry.

Future Perspectives:

Consumers are increasingly demanding dairy products with cleaner labels, value-added ingredients, sugar reductions, and much more. The average milk yield per animal is however substantially low, with the majority of India’s milk production sold as fluid milk. Because of this, the industry is at the crossroads, holding tremendous potential for overall value-addition and development. It is essential to establish and adopt mitigation strategies covering available tools from management, nutrition, health and plant and animal breeding to cope with the future consequences of climate change on dairy farming. Further, India’s large dairy sector is understudied, and there is limited public data on aspects of the sector that are important in assessing progress, future developments, or policy options.

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