How many cows in india

Seven of the 10 states with the most number of stray cattle have recorded a rise in their number between and , suggested the Livestock Census. So evidently, the Centre needs to widen its strategy to reduce stray cattle. For this, it first needs to improve its understanding of cattle, especially of the neglected varieties that have been sidelined by their popular counterparts.

Vulnerable sections In India, cattle can be classified into four broad groups: defined breeds, uniform breeds, crossbreeds and non-descript cattle. The defined breeds include the 50 most valuable indigenous cattle varieties such as Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar and Rathi. They constitute almost 20 per cent of the total number.

These breeds are region-specific and have adapted to local climatic conditions, making them hardy to food shortages and climate variations. For example, the varieties found in northern and western states have high milk yield, while those in the southern states are ideal to be used as draft. Breeds found in the eastern states are used for both milk production and draft.

Given their high value and low maintenance, these varieties are never abandoned. The uniform category is the second group, that includes cattle varieties yet to be recognised as a breed, even though they are widely used by the farmers. They are well adapted to local conditions but as they are not properly identified, many of them are crossbred, which leads to poorer varieties. Only these varieties, which account for a small portion of the uniform group, are abandoned. This can be avoided if authorities recognise them.

They constitute almost 10 per cent of the total number. Crossbred cattle form the third group, which accounts for 21 per cent of the total cattle in the country. These are a product of various failed government-backed programmes started almost 60 years ago to crossbreed popular Indian varieties Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Tharparkar with the exotic ones such as Jersey and Holstein Friesian.

While the first generation of crossbreed varieties saw an increase in milk yield, this could not be sustained in the subsequent generations. The other challenge was that most varieties failed to adapt to the Indian conditions, making them too expensive to be maintained by small and marginal farmers. Their average lifespan is also less than that of indigenous breeds. Even in the best farms of the country, crossbred varieties are only able to survive for 3.

As a result, most end up as stray cattle. The last cattle group is the non-descript breeds, which account for the remaining 49 per cent overall.

Cattle in this category usually display low productivity. As a result, they have not even been identified. They form the bulk of the stray cattle, which is unfortunate because they can be made commercially viable if proper research is carried out to determine their potential.

This means more than 70 per cent of the cattle population crossbreed and non-descript combined are at high risk of becoming stray cattle. The first step to prevent this should be to stop cross-breeding indigenous and exotic varieties.

Research institutes should instead use the semen of indigenous breeds. The other approach could be reverse crossbreeding, where crossbred varieties are used as foster mothers to produce pure indigenous cows through embryo transfer technology. Increased interventions in this regard, such as developing embryos of indigenous breeds, could help in a big way. Researchers should also develop sexed semen of indigenous breeds to control the population of male calves that have lower demand.

The country already has sexed semen for exotic breeds. While the inability to remain productive in the Indian climatic conditions is the primary reason that crossbreeds are abandoned, neglect is what ails the non-descript variety.

But recent research suggests that proper interventions can improve their productivity. Indian breeds have an advantage over the exotic ones as they naturally produce A2 quality of milk that is beneficial to humans.

The indigenous cow milk also has high levels of some useful components like conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and cerebrosides. Log in. More information. Supplementary notes. Other statistics on the topic. Profit from additional features with an Employee Account.

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