A recent study by the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, on dairy production systems in the country has given Kerala the top spot overall among 20 milk-producing States.
The study, ‘Development and testing of potential indicators for evaluation of dairy production systems’, published in the November edition of the Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, ranked the States on the basis of six major indicators of dairy production.
Kerala stood first in three categories — animal breeding, resource availability and policies and regulations. The State was placed second in veterinary infrastructure; seventh in dairy production and eighth in value addition and marketing.
Alongside Punjab, Goa, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan, Kerala was deemed to have a “dynamic” dairy production system, one of three State groupings which also included “transient” and “subsistent” systems.
Punjab second
Punjab, which topped the list for dairy production, has bagged the second spot overall. “Kerala ranked first in overall dairy production system index owing to its highest literacy rate in India, prompting the farmers to acquire more knowledge and awareness about the scientific dairy farming practices and further likely to adopt new technology. The government policies are quite favourable to dairy development. The State has highest crossbred to indigenous cattle ratio and highest AI performed per 1,000 breedable population,” the study noted.
The 20 States selected for the study contribute 98% of the total milk production of the country.
Rajesh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary (Animal Husbandry, Dairy), expressed satisfaction at the study result, stating that it does convey a correct picture of the dairy scenario in Kerala.
“Obviously there is some way to go, particularly in areas such as productivity and self-sufficiency,” Mr. Singh said.
“The study shows that Kerala has come up as a model for the rest of the country, especially in matters like animal breeding, policies and availability of resources in the sector,” Jose James, Managing Director, Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB), said.
