As a primarily agrarian economy, cows have always been at the centre of our lives right from ancient times to now.

According to a legend, it is believed that the cow (Kamadhenu) emerged from an ocean of milk at the time of samudramanthan -that is, at the time of the great churning of the ocean by the gods and demons.

Ayurveda exalts the sattvik qualities of pure Indigenous Cow milk and milk products. Apart from the nutritious benefits of calcium and vitamins and proteins that are there in Indian Cow milk, it is also proclaimed as the source of Ojas – the energy that gives our body strength and immunity. Logical enough then, that we need to preserve and protect the source of Indian Cow milk that has life sustaining qualities. However, with the changing times, and due to apathy and misinformation, we have been largely neglectful of our breed of indigenous cows. The indigenous cow breeds are really potent sources of good quality milk. Scientific research has proved that milk from these cows, is called A2 Milk, which means that it keeps you safe from coronary disease and eliminates the cause of lactose intolerance. This milk is easier to digest because it is free of the protein that is found in A1 milk. A1 milk supposedly has opiate-like effects which might lead to development of mild to serious medical conditions. It is a misnomer that foreign bred cows are giving more nutritious milk. The real truth is that indigenous cows are far superior both as milch cows and work animals. Unfortunately, cows are victims of neglect in cities, where they have to rely on garbage for survival. Oftentimes they die due to the dark menace of polyethenes.

The breed quality of Indian breeds like Sahiwal and Gir have already been recognised by many countries’ worldwide. Maharaja of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji gifted a `Gir’ cattle pair to Celso Garcia Cid, an icon in the history of Brazilian livestock and successful entrepreneur. The bull gifted was named `Krishna’. It is estimated that 80 per cent of Brazilian `Gir’ cattle carry genes from the `Krishna’ bull that is now referred to as `Gyr’. The `Gyr’ was subsequently crossbred with Holstein, a Dutch variety, to create the hybrid ‘Girolando’. This breed grew rapidly across Brazil and contributed to about 80 per cent of the nation’s milk production and was registered officially in 1989 by Brazil’s agriculture ministry. In recognition of the Gir’s role in the country’s economy, it finds a place on Brazil’s coins. Over time, this breed has now spread across the American continent. Another important Indian cow breed Sahiwal has been distinctive in its performance and due to its distinct characteristics, it is exported to a wide range of countries and regions. In the early 1950s, the Sahiwal breed was imported by Australia via New Guinea. The Sahiwal breed was initially chosen as a dual-purpose breed in Australia. It aided in the evolution of two Australian tropical dairy breeds, the Australian Milking Zebu and the Australian Friesian Sahiwal. The contribution of the Sahiwal breed to adaptability has been well documented in Kenya, Jamaica, Guyana, Burundi, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and several African ecological zones where Sahiwals have been crossed with exotic Bos taurus breeds with a high response capability for milk and beef production but lack adaptability to local conditions. The current generation of Sahiwal cattle in Kenya is descended from 60 bulls and 12 cows imported between 1939 and 1963.

India is home to the largest cattle population (13.1% of world’s cattle population) in the world which constitutes 37.3% of its total livestock. As per the 20th livestock census, India has 192.52 million cattle, out of which 142 million are indigenous cattle. The diversity of Indian cattle is represented by 60 local breeds, eight regional transboundary breeds and seven international transboundary breeds. Of these, 53 have been registered by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, the nodal agency for the registration of livestock breeds in India. While certain species of wild animals have hogged the attention of conservationists, India is losing its wealth of genetic resources in domesticated animals. Native breeds are being lost due to misdirected crossbreeding with exotic stock, indiscriminate crossing of native stocks, and slaughter of animals for export. Domestic animals, which are well-adapted to adverse climatic conditions and disease, are gradually being replaced by crossbreeds whose productivity is declining. With climate change expected to adversely affect the milk production and reproductive function of cattle and buffaloes in the country, India is now considering using climate resilient traits of its indigenous cattle breeds to develop new breeds that can withstand rising temperatures.

In a report presented in the Parliament in August 2017, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, had said that “milk production and reproductive function of cattle and buffaloes will be adversely affected by projected temperature rise of 2 to 6 degree Celsius over existing temperature during the period 2070-2099. The report had also noted that studies indicated that warming will negatively impact the productivity of indigenous cows and productivity loss will be about 0.33 million tons. It had observed that decline in milk production will be higher in crossbreds followed by buffaloes and indigenous cattle. The panel had recommended to the central Government to start a comprehensive plan for making an inventory of all indigenous varieties of cattle in country, identification and separation of their specific traits, proper breeding plan for cross breeding of indigenous varieties of cattle, vaccination so that farmers of our country are equipped with wherewithal for coping with vagaries associated with climate changes in the country. Laboratory experiments have revealed that Sahiwal cows have superior tolerance to summer stress as been shown by hematological, cell proliferation, heat shock proteins and stress marker data, In order to compliment and supplement the efforts made by the States for promotion, development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds including breeds of Gir and Sahiwal Government of India has initiated programmes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission a new initiative initiated as a part of National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development exclusively for development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds including Gir and Sahiwal breed of cattle, National Dairy Plan-I a World Bank assisted project being implemented in 18 major dairy States covering development and conservation of 12 indigenous breeds of cattle and buffaloes.

It’s better late than never. Experts have been saying this for years that the indigenous cattle are much better than the foreign ones. But no one took note of it. We ignored our cattle while a country like Brazil, Australia, Kenya and many more took indigenous Indian cattle breed, improved their productivity and is now the biggest exporter of Indian cattle. It’s high time we start appreciating our own native cattle. Together, we will drive an active narrative that integrates the environmental, nutritional and societal impacts of the sector.

(The writers are Scientist in SKUAST Jammu and Scientist PAU-Ludhiana)