National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development

The NPBBDD has been formulated by merging four ongoing schemes of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in the dairy sector. These are the National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB), Intensive Dairy Development Programme (IDDP), Strengthening Infrastructure for Quality and Clean Milk Production (SIQ and CMP) and assistance to cooperatives. This has been done to integrate milk production and dairying activities in a scientific and holistic manner for attaining higher levels of milk production and productivity, to meet the increasing demand for milk in the country. It has three components-

A. National Programme for Bovine Breeding

To arrange quality artificial insemination services at farmers’ doorstep.

• To bring all breedable females under organized breeding through artificial insemination or natural service using germplasm of high genetic merits.
• To conserve, develop and proliferate selected indigenous bovine breeds of high socio-economic importance.
• To provide quality breeding inputs in breeding tracts of important indigenous breeds so as to prevent the breeds from deterioration and extinction.

B. National Programme for Dairy Development

To create and strengthen infrastructure for production of quality milk including cold chain infrastructure linking the farmer to the consumer.

• To create and strengthen infrastructure for procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products.
• To create training infrastructure for training of dairy farmers.
• To strengthen dairy cooperative societies/producers companies at village level.
• To increase milk production by providing technical input services like cattle-feed, and mineral mixture etc.
• To assist in rehabilitation of potentially viable milk federations/unions.

C. Rashtriya Gokul Mission

Rashtriya Gokul Mission was launched (in December, 2014 by Ministry of Agriculture) with the aim to develop and conserve indigenous bovine breeds to enhance milk production and productivity. The mission also focuses on increasing the potential of self-employment in livestock through entrepreneurship especially in rural areas.

The mission includes-

• National Programme for Bovine Breeding - enhance the productivity of milch animals through extension of artificial insemination coverage.

Promotion of Indigenous Breeds

• National Mission on Bovine Productivity- make dairying more remunerative to farmers
• It has the objective to undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds, to improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock of cattle. Also, to enhance milk production and productivity of indigenous bovines. The establishment of Breeders Societies and setting up of Gokul Grams to promote animal husbandry.

Components of National Mission on Bovine Productivity

• Pashu Sanjivini: It includes identification of animals in milk using UID, issuing health cards to all animals in milk and uploading data on INAPH (Information Network for Animal Productivity & Health) database.
• Advance Reproductive Technique: Under it, sex sorted semen production facility is being created.
• Creation of E-Pashu Haat Portal: It is for linking farmers and breeders of indigenous breeds.
• Establishment of National Bovine Genomic Centre for Indigenous Breeds (NBGC-IB): It is established for enhancing milk production and productivity through genomic selection among indigenous breeds.

Performance of the Scheme

• Government has established two National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres, one at Itarsi, Hoshangabadand the other in Chintaladevi, Nellore.
• Establishment of National Bovine Genomic Centre for Indigenous Breeds.
• Training of technical & non-technical manpower (MAITRIs- Multi Purpose Artificial Insemination Technicians in Rural India)
• Under the mission, a portal ‘e-pashuhaat’ has been launched, to connect animal breeders with milk producers.
• Setting up of Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) for financing infrastructure requirement of animal husbandry sector.
• The facility of Kisan Credit Card has been extended by the government to the fisheries and livestock farmers.
• Mass Embryo Transfer Programme in indigenous breeds under National Mission on Bovine Productivity.

Challenges

• Very low productivity of the domestic cattle population of the country.
• Increasing stress on the limited natural resources due to impact of climate change.
• Lack of animal identification and traceability.
• Inability to meet sanitary and phyto sanitary conditions
• No system or data for separation of animal products from healthy and diseased animals.
• Spread of diseases among animals and zoonotic diseases to human beings.
• Insufficient veterinary services as well as poor maintenance of records on animal breeding, productivity, treatment and vaccination.
• Under-developed and unorganized fragmented markets for live animals and their products.
• Involvement of a chain of middleman who reaps the actual benefit depriving the producers from their due share.

Ways to Improve

• Focus on development and conservation of 6 indigenous breeds of cattle and buffalo breeds through implementation of progeny testing and pedigree selection programme.
• Providing adequate extension services and institutional support in terms of credit and insurance.
• Increase the ambit of ‘Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute’ to undertake production and supply of semen doses of high genetic merit bulls of indigenous breeds.
• Create e-market portal for bovine germplasm for connecting breeders and farmers after meeting out sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) issues.
• Making tagging with animal wellness card mandatory for sale of milch animals.
• To achieve the mission of doubling milk production of 300MT by 2023-24, the need is to prioritize initiatives that have a catalyzing effect rather than a one-off impact.