What is the Scope of Dairy Farming in India and How to Do it?

Dairy farming has served as an important aspect of nutrition for thousands of years. Today dairy cows are bred to give an abundance of milk. Cows can produce enough milk after having given birth, and cows ought to have one calf every year to keep producing milk or milk-derived products, just like humans. We advise you to look into the lucrative dairy farming industry if you find the aforementioned method intriguing and wish to adopt it as a business. Yes, it is highly appropriate to begin a career in this field. The Indian government and private banks also give the dairy industry a lot of financial support. Continue reading to discover more about the dimensions of dairy farming in India.

Introduction

India is the world’s leading producer and consumer of milk. It calls for countless farms of various sizes. In India, dairy farming has a prolonged history and has been passed down through different generations. This custom started to fade in the latter part of the 20th century. However, significant progress has been made, thanks to developments in science and technology. The contribution Amul made in the shape of the “White Revolution” was crucial in elevating India’s dairy farming sector from a backwater to a global leader.

Dairy farming is the practice of keeping large herds of animals over extensive land. Ranchers who rear grazing animals such as dairy cows, cattle, and sheep are generally referred to as dairy farmers. Thus, compared to other agricultural sectors, the dairy and cattle industries are expanding more swiftly. The best industry for earnings and income potential is dairy farming. The dairy industry is built on farms with cows and buffalo. While Sahiwal, Rathi, Gir, and Red Sindhi are India’s top milk breeders, high-breeding buffalo breeds include Murrah, Mehsana, and Jaffarbadi. 

Scope of Dairy Farming in India

One of the country’s major agri-businesses and also a leading contributor to the nation’s GDP is dairy farming in India. With a 4% economic share, it is the biggest agricultural commodity. With over 180 million MT output in 2020, India is the world’s leading milk producer. The growth of private dairy businesses, which now make up more than 60% of the nation’s dairy processing capacity, has been a significant contributing factor. Value-added products have driven market expansion in the Indian dairy farming industry, which has risen at a rate of 12% over the past five years. Around 70 million farmers are actively engaged in dairy farming, which contributes significantly to economic revenue.

As the world’s greatest population of livestock is found in India, it supports 14.7% of the world’s cattle population and around 57.3% of its buffalo population. According to estimates, the nation produced 84.6 million MT of milk altogether in 2001–2002. In contrast to the ICMR’s recommended minimum of 250 grammes per day, its per capita availability at this production was to be 226 grammes per day. Therefore, there is a great scope and possibility in dairy farming to increase milk production. 

How Does A Dairy Farm Work?

Below is a descriptive list of the top five methods for producing milk that is used by all dairy farms in India:

1. Rearing: Typically, dairy cows eat, sleep, and ruminate throughout the day (chewing their cud). Some dairy farms allow their cows to roam free and eat fresh grass (grazing). In other farms, they are kept in cramped spaces known as restricted animal feeding facilities, some of which house hundreds of animals, and are given hay, grain, or silage throughout the day. The most common crossbreeds used for dairy cows in India are Gir, Rathi, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Kankrej.
2. Harvesting: When a cow’s udder is full, she is prepared to be milked. When creating a timetable for the times when the cows are milked, the farmers have some flexibility. Cows are often milked twice a day, one time in the morning and another time in the mid-evening. Hand milking a cow is an option. However, it would take a lot of time and effort to milk an entire cow herd twice each day in this fashion. The method of manually milking dairy cows before the development of milking machines involved gently squeezing the cow’s teats with the thumb and fingertip. Some people still milk cows by hand. The majority of dairies have enough equipment to milk over 20 cows simultaneously. By creating a pulsing suction around the teat that prompts the milk to be secreted from the udder, milking machines imitate how a young calf would act.
3. Storing: Milk silos or storage vats exist in a variety of sizes as well as shapes and are chilled. On the farm, milk is typically kept for no longer than 48 hours at 39 degrees F or colder. To prevent the milk fat from separating from the milk and to ensure that the entire amount remains cool, vats and silos are stirred. Before the farmer begins milking again after milk collection, stainless steel pipes and storage vats are meticulously cleaned.
4. Processing: When whole milk is ready for consumption, it is placed into containers where it is pasteurised, homogenised, separated, and processed further.
5. Pasteurization: Every milk particle is heated to a precise temperature for a set amount of time, cooled, and then heated now without permitting cross-contamination.
6. Homogenization: To prevent the fat from rising to the top of the container, fresh milk is forced into an atomizer to create microscopic particles that equally distribute the fat throughout the milk.
7. Separation: To extract the cream from the milk, a centrifuge is used to spin the milk. After separation, the residual milk and cream are combined to obtain the necessary fat level for the dairy products produced.
8. Additional Processing: This process could include micro-filtration, heating milk to extremely high temperatures to extend its shelf life, and combining or culturing milk to produce flavoured and yoghurt products.
9. Selling: The milk is ultimately ready for consumers after packing, and it is kept in a big refrigerator compartment until it is transported to retailers to be sold.

Benefits of Dairy Farming for Dairy Farmers in India

There are numerous benefits dairy farmers get by indulging in dairy farming. They can expand their business and get several opportunities in the dairy farming in India. 

Rise in Demand: The last ten years have seen a sharp increase in market demand for organic milk, partly due to mounting evidence that it is more nutrient-dense and less harmful to the environment than milk produced in congested, toxic CAFOs^[1].

Economic Benefit: Due to its higher nutritional content, organic milk is favoured by those who are health conscious, which increases levels of financial engagement. Customers might be charged a premium for organic milk because of its many health advantages. Consequently, a farmer can benefit more per animal.

Government Incentives: Major infrastructure investments in process, refrigeration, transport, cattle fodder, etc., are needed to support the economic growth of dairy farming industry. Furthermore, there are abundant unexplored prospects in sectors including exports, value-added dairy products, and organic/farm fresh milk. The federal and state governments have introduced several incentives to encourage investments in the industry. Infrastructure Development Fund for Animal Husbandry (AHIDF). One of the governments of India’s flagship programmes, the AHIDF, has a fund of INR 15,000 Crore set up to provide financial support for dairy farmers for the establishment of new units or the expansion of existing ones in the areas of dairy processing and linked value-added infrastructure and related value addition infrastructural facilities. The advantages are as follows:

• INR 750 Crore credit guarantee
• 2 years moratorium with 6 years repayment period

Financial Assistance From Bank: For financial assistance, dairy farmers in dairy farming industry will be required to submit thorough project studies for dairy plans with significant outlays. Capital asset items like the buying of dairy cows, building sheds, purchasing equipment, etc., would be included in the list of financial items. The initial one- to two-month period’s feeding expenses are capitalised and provided as a term loan. You may be eligible for a loan to cover the costs of land development, fencing, well drilling, diesel engine/pump system commissioning, electrical connections, necessary servants’ quarters, godowns, transport vehicles, milk processing facilities, etc. Borrowers with high-value projects may use the expertise of NABARD Consultancy Services, which has extensive experience in the creation of Development Proposal Reports.

Top Desi Cow Breeds in India

1. Gir Cow: In India this breed produces the healthiest milk and is one of the highest milk-producing breeds in India. 
2. Sahiwal: This cow is known as “Red Gold” and may be recognised by its striking red hue.
3. Rathi: Its white skin is distinguished by black or grey patches. However, it is typically brown. It is believed to have evolved from the blending of Tharparkar, Red Sindhi, Dhanni, and Sahiwal breeds, with a heavy Sahiwal influence.
4. Red Sindhi: This cow’s colour can range from a dark reddish brown to something like yellow-red, but a deep red is the most prevalent. Compared to Sahiwal, it has a far higher genetic potential for milk.
5. Tharparkar: Other names for this breed include “Grey Sindhi,” “Thari”, and “White Sindhi”. 
6. Ongole: They yield nutritious and healthy milk.
7. Red Kandhari: This breed yields a commendable amount of milk.
8. Kankrej: This breed’s milk is highly beneficial for treating tuberculosis, infectious abortion, tick fever, and heat exhaustion.
9. Dangi: It is distinguished by a white coat tone with irregularly spaced red or black markings all over the body.
10. Vechur: The Indian breed of little cow is known as voucher cattle. They have long, narrow faces and are primarily light black or red.

Conclusion

Since the 1970s, the livestock industry in India has increased its share of the country’s agricultural GDP. The value of all livestock output is dominated by the dairy industry, and milk production has been steadily increasing. The future of dairy farming seems promising. Through SwadeshiVIP, we are trying to contribute to the success of the dairy industry and encourage people to buy A2 milk and A2 milk-based dairy products. 

Read our Article: Embrace Low Fat Dairy Products & Keep Diseases outside the Door