Milk and cheese output from world’s largest producer faces catastrophic decline unless more heat stress resistant cattle are bred
Milk production of indigenous breeds is more robust than crossbred cows in heatwaves.Ramasamy, who buys and sells milk from local farmers through the company Vrindavan Dairy, is trying to promote the use of indigenous cows by paying more for milk from Indian cows than from crossbreeds .
Solutions to ward off heat stress include specially designed sheds with fans and sprinklers to keep cattle cool, but that comes at a high cost. “Only big, intensive dairy farms can afford such infrastructure,” says Girdhari Ramdas Patil, a former joint director at the National Dairy Research Institute. AlmostGyr cows slake their thirst at Vrindavan dairy farm near Bengaluru. The Gyr breed is sturdier and more resilient to climate change.
For Ramasamy, the answer has been to seek better indigenous breeds. He has started breeding Gyr cows from northern India that give more milk than other breeds while also consuming less food and water than crossbred varieties. Does he think the lower maintenance costs and risks of heat stress will persuade more farmers to turn to Indian breeds? “It’s going to be difficult, but I’m convinced that is the future,” he says.
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