Extension of the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development for Draught Purpose Bovine Breeds of India

Abstract

Traditionally, bullocks and bovine breeds had been the backbone of Indian agriculture. India has around 70 million draught power animals, comprising of cattle, buffalo, camel, yak, etc. Draught power animals, almost entirely are indigenous breeds, mostly bred and maintained under pastoral systems. Draught power animals in the country are predominantly used in agriculture for ploughing, seedbed preparation, sowing seeds, and drilling, most importantly in intercultural operations, threshing and post-harvest operations and transportation. About 60-65% of the cultivated area consisting of 85 million hectare requires draught animal power for cultivation against just 20% managed by tractors. The Input Census data (2011-12) reveals that large-holding farmers are more mechanized, however, 56% of small and marginal land holders primarily depend on draught energy for farm operations. The draught energy of the country accounts to an energy equivalent of 18 million kilowatts (kW), which accounts to 4.65%, of the total farm energy available in the country. Although cattle remains the mainstay of draught energy, however, water buffaloes provide about 30% of the animal energy used in agriculture. The total farm available energy is 386.57 million kW, of which tractor based energy accounts to 287.68 million kW, (74.42%). It was estimated that animal power earns between INR 750 to 950 million a day to the country; which is approximately INR 310,250 million a year. Besides, draught power animals are pivotal for saving petroleum worth of INR 215,000 million annually. This is in addition to the other miscellaneous economic benefits they provide in terms of biomass (dung/urine) production and hide and their significant cultural services. Further, about 60% of the household income of livestock rearers come from the sale of male calves used for draught energy purpose in farm operations. the scale of the economy of traditional sports such as Jallikattu and Kambala, involving indigenous draft bovine breeds remains unavailable and unaccounted. Further, the economy surrounding traditional festivals such as Bailpola of central Indian and Eruvaka of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha states and other similar festivals, involving draught bovine breeds remains neglected and ignored. It is however, difficult to quantify the cultural services provided by the draught power bovine breeds of the country, which needs a special attention altogether. But the questions remain does India has a bovine breeding policy specifically for the conservation and improvement of indigenous bovine breeds? What is the main focus of the existing bovine breeding policies of the country and what is their impact on the indigenous draught bovine breeds of India?

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Traditionally, bullocks and bovine breeds had been the backbone of
Indian agriculture. India has around 70 million draught power animals,
comprising of cattle, buffalo, camel, yak, etc. Draught power animals, almost
entirely are indigenous breeds, mostly bred and maintained under pastoral
systems. Draught power animals in the country are predominantly used in
agriculture for ploughing, seedbed preparation, sowing seeds, and drilling,
most importantly in intercultural operations, threshing and post-harvest
operations and transportation. About 60 -65%of the cultivated area
consisting of 85 million hectare requires draught animal power for cultivation
against just 20% managed by tractors.
The Input Census data (2011-12) reveals that large-holding farmers are
more mechanized, however, 56%of small and marginal land holders primarily
depend on draught energy for farm operations.
The draught energy of the country accounts to an energy equivalent of
18 million kilowatts (kW), which accounts to 4.65%, of the total farm energy
available in the country. Although cattle remains the mainstay of draught
energy, however, water buffaloes provide about 30%of the animal energy
used in agriculture. The total farm available energy is 386.57 million kW, of
which tractor based energy accounts to 287.68 million kW, (74.42%).
It was estimated that animal power earns between INR 750 to 950
million a day to the country; which is approximately INR 310,250 million a
year. Besides, draught power animals are pivotal for saving petroleum worth
of INR 215,000 million annually. This is in addition to the other miscellaneous
economic benefits they provide in terms of biomass (dung/urine) production
and hide and their significant cultural services.
Further, about 60%of the household income of livestock rearers come
from the sale of male calves used for draught energy purpose in farm
operations. the scale of the economy of traditional sports such as Jallikattu
and Kambala, involving indigenous draft bovine breeds remains unavailable
and unaccounted. Further, the economy surrounding traditional festivals such
as Bailpola of central Indian and Eruvaka of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and
Odisha states and other similar festivals, involving draught bovine breeds
remains neglected and ignored. It is however, difficult to quantify the cultural
services provided by the draught power bovine breeds of the country, which
needs a special attention altogether.
But the questions remain does India has a bovine breeding policy
specifically for the conservation and improvement of indigenous bovine
breeds? What is the main focus of the existing bovine breeding policies of the
country and what is their impact on the indigenous draught bovine breeds of
India?
Methods / Approach Conclusions / Significance
Extension of the National Programme for Bovine
Breeding and Dairy Development for Draught
Purpose Bovine Breeds of India
Kanna K. Siripurapu
South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs), India.
Fig #1 Poda Thurpu Cattle Fig #2 Bullock Cart
References / Links
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In the above background, a brief analysis of the National Programme for
Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NBBDD) has been attempted to
discern its main focus with regards to the breeding and improvement of draft
purpose bovine breeds of the country.
1.Singh S.P. and Singh S. 2021. Farm Power Availability and its Perspective in Indian
Agriculture. RASSA Journal of Science for Society 3(2): 114-126.
2.Phaniraja K.L. and Panchasara H.H. 2009. Indian Draught Animals Power.
Veterinary World, Vol.2(10):
3.Livestock Census. 20th Livestock Census of India-Key Results (Provisional). Ministry
of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Department of Animal Husbandry
and Dairying, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi. 2019.
4.Manomohan V. et al. 2021. Legacy of draught cattle breeds of South India: Insights
into population structure, genetic admixture and maternal origin. PLoS ONE 16(5)
From the review it was found that NBBDD has the following three
components. (1) The National Programme for Bovine Breeding (NPBB); (2) The
National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD); and (3) The Rashtriya
Gokul Mission. However, none of the three major components have
“specifically” mentioned about the conservation and improvement of the
draft purpose bovine breeds of the country. The major of the NBBDD remains
firmly on promotion of dairy and improvement of milch breeds. It completes
ignores the breeding, conservation and improvement of the draught energy
bovine breeds of the country.
India has a total of 50 cattle breeds registered as defined breeds, out of
which only a handful (approx. 8%) of breeds of Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi,
Tharparkar and Rathi have been registered as milch breeds. And the majority
(approx. 92%) of the defined cattle breeds are either draught or dual purpose
breeds. The Hariana cattle breed is considered as one of the best draught
breeds in the world. The Ongole cattle breed immensely popular around the
world. The Vechur breed found in Kerala is not only the smallest cattle breed
in the world but also produces very hardy and valuable draught bullocks.
The loss of economic relevance of draught energy in the ever increasing
mechanization of agriculture, and the indiscriminate state promoted
crossbreeding of the native breeds with the exotic taurine cattle like Jersey,
Holstein-Friesian and Brown Swiss caused an irreversible damage to the
germplasm of the indigenous draught and yet to be defined bovine
populations of India. Now, the crossbred cattle constitute 35.9% of total cattle
population in Andhra Pradesh, 41.9% in Karnataka, 76.1% in Tamil Nadu and
94.6% in Kerala, as against the national average of 27.7%. Nationally, there is
an overall decline of 6% in the total population of the indigenous cattle breeds
and the decline is especially in the population of male cattle (30.2%) and He-
buffalo (42.35%).
Despite the huge economic scale of draught energy, socio-cultural
significance, genetic merit and importance, the diversity of draught purpose
bovine breeds, their dwindling population, genetic erosion, and the imminent
threat to their very existence, the NBBDD, remains focused on promotion of
milch breeds. It neither acknowledges the value and importance nor
considers conservation of such breeds through improving the efficiency of
draught energy with advancement in research and technological innovations
and appropriate market interventions.
Introduction / Background Results
Acknowledgements
Image courtesy: Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), India.
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