Economic Survey Warns of Milk Imports If Production is Not Stepped Up.

The white revolution is losing its zeal and India may have to become an importer to fill its milk cans, according to the Economic Survey tabled in parliament. The national demand for milk had caught up with supply, which some saw as evidence of growth in incomes. The demand was expected to jump from 112 million tonnes this year to 180 million tonnes by 2022, necessitating a 5.5% annual growth in milk production, the survey said.

"India may need to resort to imports from the world market if it fails to achieve a 5.5% annual growth," the survey warned. The annual growth in milk production over the past five years has remained below 5 %. "We have a fairly good idea about what technologies haven't spread fast enough or far enough yet," said Shiv Prasad, head of livestock production at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana.

One such technology is cross-bred cattle like Haryana farmer Jit Ram's Ganga --- created by the artificial insemination of frozen- and-thawed semen from high-yielding Holstein cows from the Netherlands into eggs from hardy, disease-resistant local cattle.

Ironicall;y, Jit Ram's son Rajbir Singh was standing with his murrah (high-yielding) buffalo in a fairy ground in Haryana when the contents of the Economic Survey were made public. Surrounded by a cacophony of moos and bellows, Rajbir's buffalo was taking part in the livestock world's equivalent of Miss India. The buffalo yields 20 litres of milk a day - four times more than is available from India's average buffalo - and Singh has pitched the animal into the livestock contest organised by the NDRI. A few years ago, Singh's father, Jit Ram proudly picked up the top prize at the annual competition for Ganga, their cross-bred cow that yielded 60 litres of milk per day. Animals like Ganga and the murrah buffalo have played a key role in bringing about India's white revolution - a steady growth in milk production that doubled from 54 million tonnes in 1990 to 112 million tonnes in 2010.

According to NDRI president Prasad, India has only 12 12 million cross-bred cattle among an estimated cattle population of 203 million. While an average, nondescript cattle in India yields 2 litres of milk every day, high productivity cross-bred animals deliver 12 litres or even more. "Cross-breeding demands infrastructure for artificial insemination, liquid nitrogen canisters to store frozen semen, trained veterinarians and healthcare services for livestock at the grassroots level," Prasad said.

The Economic Survey has listed ineffective breeding programmes, limited availability of quality fodder, inadequate veterinary infrastructure, lack of vaccinations and a limited capacity for milk processing among threats to sustaining India's milk gains. Economic growth and increased consciousness among people is likely to increase the proportion of income spent on milk and milk products in the coming years. While the domestic demand for milk has grown at about 6 million tonnes per year, the incremental increase in milk production over the past 10 years has been only 3.5 million tonnes per year, according to the survey. -

Source : fnbnews.com