Owned by dairy farmer Gaurav Raghuvanshi of Talod village, the five-year-old indigenous bovine secured first place under the Gopal-Krishna Gram Award Scheme, earning a ₹1 lakh prize and demonstrating the genetic potential of native Indian breeds.
In a competitive demonstration highlighting the milk productivity of indigenous cattle, a five-year-old Gir cow named ‘Radha’ from Talod village in Ujjain district has secured the first position in Madhya Pradesh’s statewide milk-yield competition. As reported by regional agricultural dispatches and Dainik Bhaskar, Radha recorded an average daily output of 19.760 litres of milk, the highest recorded yield among all indigenous-breed bovine entries across the state.
The milk-yield assessment was organized by the Madhya Pradesh Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services across 208 designated “Vrindavan villages” under the state’s Gopal-Krishna Gram Award Scheme. The policy objective behind the initiative is to encourage smallholder dairy producers to conserve and breed high-performing native cattle breeds—such as Gir, Sahiwal, and Tharparkar—which exhibit superior thermal tolerance and disease resistance compared to exotic crossbreds.
Details regarding the herd management, acquisition, and testing protocols include:
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Official Testing Protocol: Under the competition guidelines overseen by Deputy Director Dr. Virendra Barve, eligible cows were milked three consecutive times under veterinary supervision, with the official ranking calculated based on the precise average yield. Radha’s 19.760-litre output outperformed regional entries across six pilot villages in Ujjain before being validated at the state level in Bhopal.
Acquisition and Calving: Gaurav Raghuvanshi’s father, Arjun Raghuvanshi, purchased the five-year-old cow roughly two and a half months prior from a rural livestock haat for ₹90,000. She calved shortly after (her third calving), delivering a female calf. After calf suckling, 15 to 16 litres remained available for commercial farmgate delivery and household consumption.
Nutritional Rationing & Grazing: The cow’s high milk solid production is supported by a disciplined nutritional regimen comprising 5 kg of commercial mustard/cottonseed oilcake daily, ground maize meal, seasonal green fodder, dry roughage, and husk, supplemented by five to six hours of daily rotational grazing on family pasture land.
Farmer Recognition & Reinvestment: Gaurav Raghuvanshi received the top cash prize of ₹1 lakh (₹100,000) alongside a commendation certificate from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during the state Govardhan Puja ceremonies in Bhopal. Raghuvanshi confirmed plans to reinvest the entire prize money into acquiring additional elite indigenous Gir heifers to scale his commercial herd.
From an agribusiness and bovine genetics perspective, Radha’s yield illustrates the commercial viability of selected Bos indicus genetics when paired with balanced feed formulation and good herd management. While indigenous cattle have historically been stereotyped as low-yielding subsistence animals, selective breeding and high-protein concentrate supplementation demonstrate that elite Gir stock can achieve lactation yields competitive with crossbreds, while retaining high milk fat percentages, A2 beta-casein profiles, and lower veterinary overheads in tropical production environments.
Source: Dainik Bhaskar
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