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Dairy in India - A Short Preview
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Thursday, 04 August, 2011, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Dr Pinky Roy Ingewar
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India derives 33% of the gross domestic product (GDP) from agriculture and has 66% of economically active population engaged in agriculture. The share of livestock product is estimated at 21% of total agricultural sector. The fact that dairying could play a more constructive role in promoting rural welfare and reducing poverty is increasingly being recognised.
The dairy cooperative movement was the main reason to the development of dairying in India. The inspiration of this movement was the success of the Khaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, better known as Amul. Later on various institutions have contributed to the development of dairying, these include the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, various agricultural universities, veterinary colleges and proud to say, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
India is the largest producer of dairy products (by volume) and home to the largest dairy herd. But it is facing a big supply gap due to the increasing demand from growing middle-class population.
Industry sources currently estimated that though the production is growing at about 4% per year, but the consumer annual demand is increasing just double the figure. In response to strong demand for milk production, the dairy industry is raising production in several ways. Farmers have responded to increasing dairy prices by increasing the herd sizes, and those working with the organised sector buyers generally have access to modern extension services thus improving management, feeding, fertility and veterinary care.
The tremendous growth in production can be accounted for increased number of milking animals (56%) and by the higher productivity of the crossbred cows (34%). India ranks first in buffalo population and second for cattle and goats. At the heart of our dairy industry are the cows and buffaloes that produce most of our milk.
Among cattle, the Sahiwal, Rathi, Gir and Red Sindhi stand out as milk producers and for the buffalo, the pride of place goes to Murrah, Mehsani, and Jaffarbadi. However, these superior breeds represent a very small part of our national milch herd. The majority of our animals are non-descript with limited genetic potential. There is an urgent need to reorient research and assess the genetic potential of indigenous breeds.
The total milk production in the country for the year 2008-09 was estimated at 108.5 million metric tonnes and the demand is expected to be 180 million tonnes by 2020. To achieve this demand, the annual growth rate in milk production has to be increased from the present 2.5% to 5%. Thus, there is tremendous scope / potential for increasing the milk production through profitable dairy farming.
Better feed management practices can definitely improve the production as shown in the below table in terms of feed digestibility and respective milk yield. Animal feeds play an important role in animal production. Feeds supply the nutrients required by animals for efficient production. Nutrition is a means to achieve desired effects in animals: improving growth, influencing fertility, reducing environmental impacts, matching the quality of the animal product to consumer demands, improving the processing efficiency of the animal products, supporting animal health or influencing behaviour. The multiple influence of nutrition on various animal body functions as well as on the environment means that dairy farmers must cooperate with experts in various fields for innovations.
Schothorst Feed Research (SFR), an independent knowledge and information centre in Netherlands, has chosen to target this core activity (improvement through feed). Together with the clients SFR, it develops and implements animal feed knowledge so that the clients can produce innovative, competitive and socially acceptable animal feed and improvise production.
Furthermore, raising productivity of dairy farms and mitigation of their production risk requires the availability of improved breeding services, targeted preventive animal health care (specifically addressing foot and mouth disease and haemorrhagic septicaemia). Also access to formal credit at market interest rate would provide farmers with an alternative to having to accept loans from the milkman and thus increasing their bargaining power in the market place.
As long as small dairy producers are not organised and active interest group, dairy and related sector policies will be driven by other actors who have conflicting interest. Building the capacity of producers to act on their own behalf is therefore essential for improving the producers' welfare.
(The writer is M V Sc, MBA, and director, De Alto Calidad Marketing Services. She can be contacted at ingewarpin@rediffmail.com.)
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