Indian cattle breeds

  1. India, over the past few decades, imported several exotic cow varieties to gain a boost in milk production. In Punjab, for example, 80% of the state’s one lakh stray cattle are exotic breeds. These breeds theoretically produce a lot of milk, but are not well-adapted to Indian conditions.
  2. 69% of Indian cows are owned by the economically poor strata of the society. These folks cannot afford to house these exotic breeds in regulated climate conditions.
  3. The government has significantly mismanaged cow breeding. The average milk yield per animal in India is just 3.2 kgs, compared to a global average of 6.6 kgs. The dairy policy and outlook is highly outdated and needs to be replaced with modern, evidence-based thinking.
India has 37 pure cattle breeds. Five of these — Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar and Rathi — are known for their milking prowess. A few others, such as Kankrej, Ongole and Hariana, belong to dual breeds that have both milch and draught qualities; ie, they are good plough animals. The rest are pure draught breeds.

Specialty of Indian cows

  • Hump – The hump is an exclusive characteristic of the Indian Desi bulls and cows and facilitates them to carry loads without effort, while the foreign breeds do not have hump.
  • Dewlap – The Indigenous Cattle have a high heat-resistance by virtue of their extensive Dewlaps below the ear, which their foreign counterparts lack.
  • Back – Desi cows have a beautiful curved back Vs Jersey have straight backs.
  • The Desi cows yield A2 type of milk containing higher nutritional value and though the exotic cows yield more milk they are A1 Type of milk, they are less nutritious and are the main cause of diseases like diabetes, Bp etc.
  • The expenditure on an Indian Desi cow is only about RS 4500 against that of a foreign cow that needs about RS 7500.
  • The dung of Indian breed of cows is used in agriculture, medicine and homas. The dung of foreign breed is of no use.

One of the most important reasons is that cows have been the backbones of Indian families and the Indian agricultural system ever since the dawn of human civilization. Without Cow the Indian agriculture in those days was as good as gone, and this was one of the prime reasons why Hindus worshiped Cow.  You can support saving Cows by saying no to cow meat and many products that come from killing cows. It is a crucial step in saving environment and agriculture in our country. Moreover, it isnot about saving cows merely but about saving ourselves. Save Cows Save Humanity.

Here is the compilation of wonderful images of indian cattle breeds. You will be really impressed!

Source:Wikipedia