A third of India's cattle farmers don't sell milk, prioritise dung, draught power: CEEW study

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) More than a third of India's cattle rearers do not sell milk and instead focus on non-market uses, such as household nutrition, dung and draught power, a study showed on Tuesday, highlighting the need for policies that extend beyond dairy production.

The findings challenge assumptions that India's cattle sector is primarily driven by milk sales, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), which surveyed 7,350 cattle-rearing households across 15 states, representing 91 per cent of the country's bovine population.

About 38 per cent of rearers, or approximately 30 million people, do not cite milk sales as a motivation for keeping cattle, with the share reaching 71 per cent in Jharkhand and over 50 per cent in West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh, the study found.

"A big percentage of cattle rearers report aspirations for continuation of cattle rearing, with a significant percentage aiming to expand herd sizes," the study said.

"Therefore, future-proofing the sector is an important lens that must be considered in policymaking." Nearly three-quarters of cattle rearers face challenges like securing affordable feed and fodder despite regional surpluses, yet 80 per cent remain unaware of government interventions, such as silage and ration-balancing programmes, the study found.

MULTI-FACETED MOTIVATIONS Seven per cent of cattle rearers, around 5.6 million nationally, keep bovines solely for purposes other than milk, such as dung, draught power or income from selling animals. In West Bengal and Maharashtra, this rises to about 15 per cent.

Despite Maharashtra and Karnataka having relatively formalised dairy sectors, over 30 per cent of rearers in these states prioritise non-milk benefits, mainly dung and draught power.

In Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Assam, over 15 per cent of rearers cite socio-cultural or religious motivations as their primary reason for keeping cattle.

When ranking bovine-related benefits, 34 per cent of rearers placed milk for household consumption first, while 20 per cent ranked non-milk-related motivations as their primary concern.

Most households keeping cattle for non-market uses typically own one or two indigenous animals, indicating their critical role in integrated farming systems.

VETERINARY GAPS Rearers cited inadequate veterinary services, poor-quality care and high treatment costs as key constraints.

Punjab has 1,389 veterinary hospitals, but only 22 mobile dispensaries, while Andhra Pradesh has 337 hospitals and 1,558 mobile dispensaries, with far fewer rearers in Andhra Pradesh, citing animal health constraints.

Vaccination and deworming programmes have over 75 per cent awareness and about 60 per cent adoption rates, but limited service availability remains a challenge in Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Artificial insemination has 80 per cent awareness and 50 per cent adoption nationally, potentially boosted by the government's Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme launched in 2019.

However, adoption is lower among indigenous cattle rearers at 34 per cent and buffalo rearers at 45 per cent, compared to 76 per cent among crossbred cattle rearers.

Awareness of sex-sorted semen remains limited at around 25 per cent, with cost and availability cited as significant barriers even among those aware of the technology.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The CEEW study recommended that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying deploy interventions tailored to local contexts and rearer typologies, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches.

It called for building support infrastructure in states like Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, where rearers show strong interest in herd expansion, and integrating climate resilience into all government programmes.

With around 75 per cent of rearers valuing dung as a key motivation, the study urged enhanced opportunities for dung-based value creation, from household biogas to vermicomposting and value-added manure.

The study also recommended prioritising water-efficient fodder cultivation in drier regions and protecting common grazing lands from encroachment.

India, the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk, is also home to the largest bovine population, with more than 300 million animals. Milk contributes approximately 5 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and cattle rearing supports the livelihoods of over 80 million farmers. PTI LUX LUX BAL BAL