SUSTAINABILITY OF INDIGENOUS DAIRY CATTLE IN THE CONTEXT OF CROSS BREEDING IN A SOUTH INDIAN STATE

A.Serma Saravana Pandian; U.Pradheeshwaran; B.Jaya Varathan

Volume : VI, Issue : I, January - 2016

SUSTAINABILITY OF INDIGENOUS DAIRY CATTLE IN THE CONTEXT OF CROSS BREEDING IN A SOUTH INDIAN STATE

A. Serma Saravana Pandian, U. Pradheeshwaran, B. Jaya Varathan

Abstract :

Milk production in India is by masses and not by mass production. Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state, ranks eighth in milk production in India. The milk production in this state during the year 2012–13 was 7.05 million tonnes. In this study an attempt was made to analyse the sustainability of indigenous cattle in the context of overwhelming cross eeding by Jersey and Holstein Friesian cattle. The data on population and milk production of indigenous cattle and cross ed cattle for a period of twenty years (1993–2013) were collected from secondary sources. The data was analysed by compound growth rate analysis and conventional analysis in the form of averages and percentages. The study period was divided into two phases (1993–94 to 2002–03 and 2003–04 to 2012–13).The overall growth rate showed a positive growth rate in cross ed population and milk production whereas indigenous cattle population and milk production showed a negative growth rate. Milk production from indigenous and cross ed cattle contributed 47.01 per cent and 52.99 per cent to the total milk production in the first phase whereas in the second phase the contribution from indigenous cattle was declined to 18.40 per cent and cross ed cattle was increased to 81.59 per cent. The contribution of Indigenous cattle population to the total cattle population was 71.44 per cent in the first phase whereas in the second phase it has declined to 36.9 per cent. The decline in indigenous cattle population and milk production may be due to the introduction of cross eeding technology in which cross ed animals yield high milk production, higher conception rate, early maturity and less intercalving interval than indigenous animals.