Low Productivity of Indian Dairy Animals: Challenges & Mitigation Strategies
Deepak Kumar, Aravindh S
M.V.Sc students,
Department of Veterinary Physiology,
OUAT, Bhubaneswar
Introduction
India is the world’s largest milk producer, accounting for 24.64% of global milk output in 2021-22. India’s milk production has increased by 58% from 2014 to 2023. As a whole, it has raised to 230.58 million tonnes during 2022-23. Dairy is the most important agricultural product in the nation, contributing 5% of GDP, and has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% over the last five years. Global milk output has elevated three times to about 918 million tonnes between 1961 and 2021. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2022), milk output reached 929.9 million tonnes worldwide.
Globally, dairy products make up a sizable portion of the diets of people. Being rich in calcium, minerals, and proteins, it provides a plethora of nutrients. Beyond meeting dietary and nutritional requirements, dairy products are used extensively in India. It has a long history in Hindu mythology. Cows are revered in Hinduism as sacred representations of the goddess Kamdhenu. The usage of milk and other dairy products in the Indian subcontinent is also mentioned in the Rigveda (oldest manuscripts in India), which was composed in 1,700 BC. This has contributed to India’s status as one of the world’s top producers and consumers of milk. While the US continues to be the world’s top producer of cow milk, most Indian milk is produced by buffaloes rather than cows.
Developing nations now produce more dairy products worldwide than they did a few decades ago. Rather than an increase in production per head, the main cause of this expansion is an increase in the number of producing animals. Diseases, accessibility to markets and services, and the low genetic potential of dairy cows for milk production are all potential limiting factors in the productivity of the dairy industry in many developing nations. The hot, muggy weather in many developing nations is unsuitable for dairy farming, in contrast to prosperous countries.
For millions of lacto-vegetarians across the nation, dairy products remain their main source of protein. A bigger proportion of people who cannot afford meat relies mainly on dairy to meet their dietary protein needs. In 2023, the total domestic consumption of milk exceeded 207 million metric tons. India’s rich culture produces a wide range of dairy-based cuisines.
Despite India’s large livestock population and milk production, the quantity of milk produced per animal is minimal. Indian milch cows produce only 1538 kg/year whereas the global average of milk production is 2238 kg/year.
Breeding management
The majority of the marginal and small-scale farmers pose several challenges in raising milch animals in India. As they live in remote villages, the possibility of upbringing cattle via artificial insemination becomes reduced. Services for farmers to reach artificial insemination centers once the estrus is detected are not effective in many villages. Nonetheless, the effect of artificial insemination on the animal is meager, when the animal has infertility problems. As a whole, only 20% of the adult females are only inseminated in Indian villages. This could be attributed to various reasons such as defects in the animal, quality-less semen straw, or infective inseminators in the villages. Post-partum anestrus is common in most of the cross-bred cows, which further hinders the breeding management by the farm owners. Besides, repeat breeding syndrome in multiparous cows is present when the animal does not conceive even after 3 inseminations at the right time. Literature showed that 64% of farmers faced repeat breeding syndrome in cross-bred and exotic cattle than indigenous breeds. This leads to monetary losses for the farmers for the utility-less purpose. Most of the indigenous cattle provide less milk (3.85kg), when compared to cross-bred (7.85kg), triggering the farmers to support cross-breeds. A lot of such problems co-exist in every corner of the village, which needs to be judiciously taken care of.
Feeding management
Dairy farmers are facing significant challenges to feed the milch animals owing to fodder scarcity. It has been predicted that 35.6% of green fodder, 10.95% of dry fodder, and 44% of concentrate would be a deficit in India (IGFRI Vision, 2050). Loss of arable and cultivable lands impacts agricultural and allied veterinary sectors. High competitiveness prevails in the social system for land usage and thus its production. Only 4% of land (8.4 million hectares) is used for fodder production in India. Furthermore, the crops cultivated are not maintained with sufficient nutrition, thereby yielding less quality roughage to the animals. This in turn reverts the animal to low production status, which eventually impacts the economy of the nation.
Two-thirds (60 to 70%) of the animal’s cost of production goes for only feed resources seeking the importance of the same. Minimal cultivable land and inefficient feed quality raise the cost for the farmers. Estrus cyclicity is dependent on many such factors, while one of the main causes are the optimum level of protein and minerals in the fodder. Low-protein diets are shown to affect the animal’s productive traits invariably resulting in much economic losses. Although there is development of technologies in areas such as mobility of fodder resources and mineral requirement, the farmers are still unaware of the existing facilities. Efficient extension agents need to be proactive in agent-farmer interactions, which is profoundly required to build a modern India.
Reproductive health
It signifies that part of the reproductive system in animals, which is of paramount importance in the modern dairy system. Notably, the effect of dystocia hinders the productive traits of the animal. Dystocia is presumably most common in cross-bred dairy cows and could lead to severe problems in the reproductive tracts. The second stage of parturition is prolonged for more than 6 to 8 hours demanding necessary assistance at the right time. It causes a tear of tissues in places like the uterus, cervix, and vagina, so the animal would not be reproductive active again.
Endometritis is also one of the major reasons for infertility in majority of the cows. It is characterized by white to purulent mucopurulent discharge probably due to the inflammation caused by the bacteria. Besides, some animals fail to discharge their fetal membrane within 12 hours, resulting in the condition called Retention of fetal membrane (RFM). All of the aforementioned incidences require immediate attention by veterinarians, which would help in alleviating the clinical conditions.
Environmental stress
It is the key factor that influences the production of milch animals. Among the environmental variables, heat stress supposedly causes potential threats to both the animals and the farmers. As the talks on global warming are alarming, it poses detrimental effects on the positive productive traits. Livestock contributes green-house gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide as an end product of fermentation process in the rumen. Heat stress reduces the feed intake, which is correlated to the fall in milk production. Also, heat stress increases the vector population and so it increases the transmission of vector-borne diseases. It has a negative impact on the immune system, so the animals are prone to diseases like Foot and Mouth disease, and hemorrhagic septicemia. Several researchers work together to mitigate various impacts caused by environmental stressors.
Way forward
- Conservation of indigenous breeds
In contrast to exotic and crossbred animals, programs for the conservation of native breeds will produce a population of resilient animals that can endure the harsh climate of the country. In addition to preservation, conservation involves managing a breed for future use and upgrading, or improving, its genetic potential.
- Organized marketing strategies
Development of cold chain storage i.e. Bulk Milk Cooler (BMC) is needed for easy transport of milk from villages. Dairy farms should use BMC because of its major benefits, including its ability to maintain nutritional value, improve freshness, manage germs, extend shelf life, and prevent exploitation by middlemen. When transporting and storing milk, dairy farmers should always utilize buckets and cans made of stainless steel or aluminium.
- Sex sorting technology and Embryo transfer technology
Sex sorting technology (use of sexed semen) to enhance milk production and farmers income through the production of female calves. With the use of embryo transfer technology, it is possible to maximise the genetic potential of exceptional females and distribute their genetic makeup more widely than may have been possible through natural means. Ovum Pick Up and In vitro Embryo Production (OPU-IVEP) have become the new standard for replacing in vivo embryo production techniques over the past four to five years. It is anticipated that the dairy business in India will alter as a result of the application of this technique to multiply the superior bovine germplasm.
- Use of Artificial intelligence
Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are being integrated into heat detection systems, which can detect heat anomalies more accurately and efficiently. The dairy business can make use of a variety of AI applications, such as those using robots, drones, sensors, 3D printing, virtual reality, blockchain technology, and artificial neural networks (ANN). To estimate the breeding values and production potential of young bull calves and heifers for their early selection, NDDB has developed INDUCHIP for cattle and BUFFCHIP for buffalo.
- FeedingCultivated fodder crops
For dairy cattle, green grass is a cost-effective source of nutrition. The cost of producing milk is decreased by farmed fodder crops since fewer concentrates are fed to them. Its digestibility and palatability are greatly influenced by the microorganisms found in green fodder. It gives the necessary nutrients for its reproduction, health, and production of milk.
Alternative sources of nutrition, such as Azolla are one of the most affordable and effective feed alternatives for animals since it has a low lignin level and a high protein content, which makes it easy for animals to digest. Hydroponic fodder has grass with grains, roots, stems, and leaves, which is superior to conventionally grown fodder, which only has the stem and leaves. It also has better digestibility and helps in increasing milk production.
- Adequate supplementation of minerals
For the best possible milk production, reproductive health, and herd well-being, dairy cattle must get the proper amount of minerals and vitamins in their diet. Due to mineral deficiency, dairy cattle are frequently affected by reproductive illnesses such as retained fetal membrane (RFM), bovine brucellosis, repeat breeding, abortion, anestrus, dystocia, endometritis, prolapse (uterine and vaginal), and pyometra which eventually hampers the milk yield of the herd.
- Extension activities
The goal of the extension is to educate and create awareness to dairy farmers about the technologies that have evolved in the areas of dairy production, processing, and management. Additionally, it aims to gather their feedback regarding adoption barriers. It is imperative to offer loans with subsidies at the lowest possible interest rates to encourage dairy development initiatives. There are numerous schemes and programs for dairy farmers such as the National Livestock Mission (NLM), Rashtriya Gokul Mission(RGM), Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) etc. have a significant impact on the growth of India’s dairy industry
- Veterinary Services
On dairy farms, it’s necessary to routinely examine dairy cows and veterinarians play a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic and production diseases as well as biosecurity the farm. Veterinary professionals should make sure that antimicrobials are delivered appropriately, instruct owners on how to use antibiotics, and put infection control procedures in place to reduce the need for antibiotics.
Government institutions must provide livestock services on time. These services include vaccinations, deworming, artificial insemination/natural service, and vaccinations. Furthermore, a reorientation of government policy towards the provision of livestock services is needed, involving major stakeholders.
Conclusion
Livestock holds a key place in the natural resource-based livelihood for the vast majority of the population, which is mostly confined to rural areas. India, being the top in the world milk production is capable of increasing its further milk production. However, several external and internal factors coexist preventing the growth of the economy. Use of the latest technologies, feed and fodder resources, and mitigating reproductive disorders are some of the pivotal tasks capable of increasing milk production in the country. In addition, governmental policies and efficient extension agents are the most crucial in creating awareness and rapport among the farmers. Integration and support from farmers, stakeholders, scientists, and governmental organization is needed for collaborative action to improve the economy and pride of our nation.
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