Bull Semen Imports Are A Pragmatic Experiment – Increasing Milk Production in India

Source: This post on Increasing Milk Production in India has been created based on the article “Bull semen imports are a pragmatic experiment” published in “” on 23^rd January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Agriculture – Economics of animal-rearing.

Bull Semen Imports Are A Pragmatic Experiment, The article discusses the status of milk production in India. It also highlights the recent initiative to increase milk production in India, and the associated challenges.

What is The Status of Milk Production in India?

India is the largest producer of milk in the world. In 2022-23, the country produced 230.6 million tonnes of milk.

However, since all of it gets consumed within India, India is not a major exporter. Thus, there is a need to scale up India’s dairy farming sector to meet rising domestic demand and serve overseas markets.

In this regard, the government is aiming for 330 million tonnes of annual milk output by 2033-34.

How can Milk Production be Increased?

1) Increasing the number of cattle.

2) Increasing milk producing capacity of Indian cattle.

According to the author, it is more efficient to increase the milk producing capacity of our existing livestock.

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What Steps Are Being Taken to Increase Milk Producing Capacity of Indian Cattle?

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is importing 40,000 doses of Gir bull semen from Brazil for domestic insemination to raise milk volumes.

The Gir breed is claimed to be capable of producing as much as 40 litres of milk every day per animal. Even its average of 20-22 litres daily would exceed Indian cattle’s usual average (estimated at 8 litres per day).

Thus, having these genes in the local bovine population could boost milk supply without the need of cattle farm expansion.

Note: The Gir cow is a breed of cattle that originated in the Kathiawar peninsula of western India. Gir cows were imported to Brazil between 1870 and 1962.

What are The Issues with This Initiative?

1. Genetic Challenges: The genetic hybrids may not necessarily acquire all the traits sought to be passed along.
2. Resistance to Imports: Imports often face resistance in India, especially in the field of livestock farming, due to opposition from cattle breeders.

Thus, according to the author, India’s dairy board is right in importing Gir bull genes from Brazil so that milk output gets a boost.

Question for practice:

India is the largest milk producer, but not a major exporter. In this context, what steps are being taken to increase milk producing capacity of Indian cattle? Critically analyse them.