Milk Production Scenario in Assam: Strategies to Address Shortfalls in Milk

Milk Production Scenario in Assam: Strategies to Address Shortfalls in Milk

Dr. Bhabesh Mili, Assistant Professor

Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry

College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry

Central Agricultural University (I), Jalukie, Peren, Nagaland -797110

E-mail: bhabamili@gmail.com, Mobile No: 8131891253

Abstract

Dairy is an integral part of livestock farming and plays a vital role in rural livelihoods in Assam. In Assam, milk production remained significantly lower than the national average and the ICMR-recommended value. Challenges in Assam’s dairy sector include the low genetic potential of milch animals, fodder scarcity, and rearing of livestock primarily for meat owing to dietary preferences. The Assam government has proposed activities that include AI services at farmers’ doorsteps; animal healthcare services through animal health/fertility camps; vaccinations; disease control activities; nutritional interventions; value addition of milk through processing; and capacity building of farmers through training to increase milk production and meet the state’s shortfalls in milk requirements. By prioritizing these strategies, Assam can enhance milk production, empower rural communities, and contribute to overall economic development and well-being.

Keywords: Dairy, Milk production, Genetic potential, Food security, Rural livelihoods.

Introduction

Livestock rearing is an important component of the agrarian economy in Assam. According to the ILRI (2007), agriculture is the main livelihood of approximately 72 % of rural people in Assam. Livestock is an important component of mixed farming systems and serves as an alternative source of income. Almost every household in the rural population is engaged in livestock rearing (Pegu, 2019), which plays a major role in self-employment opportunities, livelihoods, and rural economic development in the state, especially among small and marginal farmers. The livestock sector in the state economy value of livestock was approximately Rs. 1122220 at its current price during 2022-23 with a growth rate of 16.18 % over the previous year (Economy Survey of Assam, Govt. of Assam, 2024).

Dairy farming is an integral component of livestock sector. In Assam, dairy farming is mainly for draught power such as plugging of paddy fields with little quantities of milk, mainly for household own consumption. Milk production is very low in the state and only a small amount of milk is sold in the markets. Dairy farming is part of livestock farming. Nonetheless, dairy production remains a crucial avenue for supplementary income and ensuring nutritional security for rural households.

Approximately 82 % of the agricultural households in Assam maintain cattle or buffaloes (ILRI, 2007), especially in rural areas.  Animals are reared in traditional systems for milk and drought power in agricultural activities such as plowing paddy fields. Milk yield per animal is very low and is mainly used for household consumption; only a small amount of milk is sold in the market. In the traditional system, cattle are loosened during the day and tied in loosely made sheds at night. Intensive management systems for cattle rearing have been implemented in several urban areas. In this system, cows are kept in shelters and stall-fed cut grasses, tree leaves, roughages, and concentrates.

Buffaloes are reared mostly under nomadic systems in Assam; the animals are grazed and moved year-round from one place to another in search of fodder. This unique system is known as the Khuti System (Alam et al., 2017). Under this low-maintenance system, farmers inhabiting the embankment or near the island of the Brahmaputra River, who are mostly small marginal farmers and landless laborers, reared buffaloes in large herds; the herd may consist of up to 100-150 numbers of buffaloes (Sarma et al., 2023).

In Assam, buffalo milk has been preferred for preparing curd, ghee, cream, and other milk products as compared to the cow milk. Further, buffalo milk are traditionally attached to the people of the state especially during the festive times, Magh bihu there is great demand of buffalo milk and its different products throughout the  state.

Despite its socioeconomic significance, the state has yet to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production. Hence, this paper discusses the current milk production scenario compared to all India levels and devises strategies aimed at addressing milk shortfalls.

Livestock Population Dynamic

The total livestock population of Assam was 18.04 million in 2019, decreased by 5.46 % from 2012 to 2019 (Livestock Census, 2019). Cattle constitute the largest livestock population, accounting for 60.30% of the total livestock population in Assam. The cattle population was 10.91 million, with only 0.77 million being exotic/crossbred cattle, while the remainder consisted of indigenous and non-descript types. This was followed by goats, pigs, buffaloes, and sheep, with 45.15, 21, 4.2, and 3.3 lakhs, respectively.

Table-1: Total livestock population by species in Assam.

Source: Livestock Census, 2019, Govt. of India.

Milk Production Scenario

The total milk production of the state of Assam is 1006.42 thousand tonnes, which was only 0.44% of the total milk production in the country during 2022-23 (BAHS, 2023). Indigenous and non-descript cow were the highest milk contributor with 53.70 % to total in Assam (Fig.2). It was followed by exotic/ cross bred cow, buffalo and goat during 2022-23.

Fig 1: Estimates milk production during 2015-16 to 2022-23 in Assam. (Source: Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, 2023, Govt. of India).

In Assam, there has been a steady increase in milk production from 2016-17 to 2022-23, but the per capita availability of milk was still much lower than the national average (Fig 2) and the ICMR-recommended value. Per capita availability increased from 71 g/day in 2016-17 to 78 g/day in 2022-23 as illustrated in Fig 3. However, at all India levels, per capita availability increased from 351g/day to 459 g/day during the same period (Fig 3). The annual growth rate of milk production in Assam was only 2.48% over the previous year (2021-22) during 2022-23, which was still lower than the national average (3.83%) during the same period (BAHS, 2023). These selected indicators of dairy development clearly show that dairy development in Assam has not kept pace with the national trends.

Fig 2: Species-wise milk contribution to total milk production in Assam during 2022-23. (Source: Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, 2023, Govt. of India).

Fig 3: Per capita availability of milk in Assam and India from 2016-17 to 2022-23. (Source: Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, 2023, Govt. of India).

According to ICMR, 300 g of milk is required per person per day. To meet the milk requirements as per the ICMR value, the projected population of Assam (Govt. of India, 2020) faces a significant shortfall in milk production, as shown in Fig 5.   There are multifaceted challenges in low milk in Assam, and these are likely to be both technological and socio-economic constraints that contribute to this outcome. The milk yield of the state milch animal was lower than the national values, as shown in Table 2. The average milk yields of exotic/ crossbred cows, indigenous-non-descript cows, and buffalo were not comparable to the all-India average.

Fig 5. Milk production and shortfall/ gap in Assam during 2022-23.

Table 2: Average yield per in-milk animal in Assam compared to all India during 2022-23 (figures in kg/day/Animal).

Source: Basic Animal Husbandry Statistic, 2023, Govt. of India

Besides, local animals of Assam exhibit low genetic potential for milk production, and the preference of the smallholder farmers is mostly for meat, especially in the case of goats. In Assam, goats are mostly reared for meat rather than milk. Predominant goat breeds include Assam Hill goat and Black Bengal. In addition, dietary preference, scarcity of fodder, and feed are rampant in Assam, as most fodder and grazing areas are affected by land erosion due to floods. In Assam, including the entire Northeast states, the main objective of livestock rearing is primarily to produce meat compared to other animal products such as milk, leather, wool, etc.

Strategies for Milk Value Chain in Assam

Milk production in Assam is notably lower than the national average. The average milk yield of milch animals in Assam was below national levels in 2022-23. Assam has significant milk production potential due to its favorable climate, abundant grazing land, and large population of dairy cattle. Additionally, the state government’s initiatives to boost dairy farming and improve infrastructure in the milk value chain contribute to its growth prospects (Economic Survey of Assam, 2023-24, Govt. of Assam). These strategies include organizing farmers into milk producer institutions (MPIs) that will later become Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS), genetic improvement of non-descript cows through artificial insemination (AI), demonstrating improved feeding practices through fodder production, providing bulk supplements through DCS, establishing linkages with crop producers to utilize crop residues, such as maize, mustard, and legumes, animal healthcare services through animal health/fertility camps, vaccinations, disease control activities, value addition of milk through processing, and capacity building of farmers through training. These efforts not only aim at economic growth but also contribute to food security by reducing dependency on imports.

Conclusion

Assam’s dairy sector plays a vital role in rural livelihoods, yet it faces multiple challenges to meet the milk production demands as well as the ICMR recommended value. Despite government initiatives, the state is behind the national milk production scenario owing to technological and socioeconomic constraints. The outlined strategies, including improved AI services, healthcare, animal nutrition, and value addition, aim to boost productivity and address deficiencies. However, sustained efforts are needed to overcome hurdles such as low genetic potential, dietary preferences, and fodder scarcity. By prioritizing these strategies, Assam can enhance milk production, empower rural communities, and ensure food security, thereby contributing to overall economic development and well-being.

References:

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