While India is the world’s largest milk producer, productivity remains low due to small herd sizes and a lack of genetic improvement in recent decades.
Brazil, a major global producer of dairy products, has offered its expertise in the genetic improvement of dairy cattle through several technologies such as insemination and embryo transfer aimed at boosting the productivity of India’s cattle.
“We are working on some of the projects to bring in our expertise on genetic or breed development of cattle to India using various methods such as insemination and embryo transfer.” Raquel Borges, international supervisor, Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders (ABCZ), which has more than 24,000 members, told FE.
Borges mentioned that discussions are ongoing about establishing a joint Zebu research institute in both countries, aimed at boosting milk production and improving the genetics of the herd. While India is the world’s largest milk producer, productivity remains low due to small herd sizes and a lack of genetic improvement in recent decades.
Suresh K. Reddy, India’s Ambassador to Brazil, told FE that as a first step, the National Dairy Development Board has placed a trial order for 50,000 semen doses from a champion bull in Brazil, which will be used for inseminating native cows. Reddy also mentioned that some private breeders have started sending their personnel to Brazil for training at various Brazilian dairy farms.
ABCZ maintains the genetic purity of Zebu animals and has the largest database of breeds in the world with over 7 million registered animals. The association imported animals from Europe which could not survive the tropical climate of Brazil.
Brazil has the largest commercial cattle herd of 220 million animals. Out of the total herds in the South American country, 80% belong to the Zebu variety while the rest are European breeds such as Jersey.
In India, the average milk is around 8 to 10 litres daily. In Brazil, milk yield is in the range of 20-22 litres.
According to an official note, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brazil imported Indian zebu breeds such as Gir, Ongole, Red Sindhi and Kankrej. A Gir cattle pair by Maharaja Krishna Kumarsinghji of Bhavnagar, Gujarat was given as a gift to Brazilian livestock entrepreneur Celso Garcia Cid in the last 18th century
Brazilian breeders crossbred the Indian Gir with Holstein cattle to create the Girolando breed, combining the Gir’s adaptability to tropical climate with the Holstein’s high milk production.
“Discussions are for finalising phytosanitary norms for transfer for technologies,” Borge said.
Since the early 1960s to boost milk production, India’s genetic improvement programme of cattle focused on the cross-breeding of such high milk-producing breeds like Holstein Friesian and Jersey with Indian cattle. “There is fatigue in the genetic development of Indian cows,” an official acknowledged by stating there is a need to boost the genetics of native varieties of cows.
In 2023, Brazil had produced over 10 million tonne of beef, with 76% consumed domestically and 24% exported, reaffirming its position as the world’s largest meat exporter.
Trade relations between India and Brazil have been rising steadily with a target of increasing two-way trade to $50 billion by 2030, a government official in New Delhi had stated last year.
In 2023, bilateral trade of major products, including agricultural goods, between India and Brazil was $11.5 billion and is likely to increase this year with close collaboration in the manufacturing of ethanol as well as imports of pulses from Brazil.
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