The government has initiated a review of the State’s livestock breeding policy, with the focus on arresting the decline in the bovine population and increasing milk production.
At a workshop organised here last week as part of the review exercise, experts called for steps to improve the genetic stock and ensure better dairy animal management. The participants highlighted the need to promote scientific rearing of female cross-bred calves to bring up a new generation of high yielding cows.
They also urged the government to come up with a feed and fodder policy and a cattle health insurance scheme. A mission programme for mastitis control, a special project for conservation of indigenous cattle breeds and accelerated use of sexed (gender selected) semen for artificial insemination are other proposals mooted at the workshop.
Jose James, Director, Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB), said the proposals would be consolidated and submitted to the government for consideration during the policy review.
Milk production
The KLDB estimates that the annual milk production in Kerala would have to be increased from 26.5 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to 35.8 lakh tonnes over the next nine years. Anticipating a decline in the cross-bred milch animal population by around 10%, the average productivity of cross-bred cattle in the State would have to be enhanced from the present level of 10 litres a day, the second highest in the country to 13 litres, to meet the projected requirement of milk.
Almost 90% of the milch cows in Kerala are cross-bred animals with a daily milk yield of 10.18 litres as compared to indigenous cows yielding just 2.55 litres.
Livestock experts point out that the total milk production in Kerala would decline if the current trend in the cattle population and milk yield continued. They fear that any improvement in milk productivity would be offset by the decline in the number of in-milk animals. The government, however, has set an ambitious target to increase domestic production of milk by 20% next year under a programme to achieve self-sufficiency.
Cattle population
The total cattle population in the State went down from 17,40,000 in 2007 to 13,29,000 in 2012, registering a drop of 23.62%. The next cattle census is due to begin in June.
Meanwhile, scientists are worried about the new rules on livestock trade issued by the Central government and their impact on the state’s efforts to arrest the decline in cattle population.
