Indigenous cattle breeds find more takers in city

“This is Rani. She’s a Rathi cow from Rajasthan. She was the first cow I got, back in 2014. She’s sweet and has a gentle disposition. She’ll even respond to her name when you call,” said the 36-year-old.

The third day of Pongal, called Mattu Pongal, celebrates the contributions of bulls in farm work and is unique to southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu. Cowherds pray for the growth and prosperity of their cattle population.

Yet, indigenous cattle breed population in India is at an all-time low. The 20th livestock census conducted by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying puts the current indigenous cattle breed population in India at 14.21 crore in 2018, a fall from the last record taken in 2012 of 15.17 crore.

These numbers spell concern for the 41 registered indigenous cattle breeds in India, but locals are taking the bull by its horns by owning native cattle breeds and raising awareness on the benefits that come along.

Indigenous cattle breeds produce A2 milk, while cross-breed and exotic cattle produce A1 milk. The latter may cause weight-loss issues, magnesium deficiency and imbalances that can result in Type 1 diabetes, autism and heart diseases, according to a study conducted in 2016. The article, published in the International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, states milk is free from such concerns. A2 milk is rich in fat and Solids Not Fat (vitamins, minerals, casein and lactose) content.

To provide good quality milk for his daughter, Manikandan Nagarajan, founder of AAvyukth Cow Milk Farm, first purchased an indigenous breed cow in 2017. “The milk helps boost immunity, improves bone strength and helps prevent heart diseases. It is a better alternative to the ‘adulterated’ milk of exotic cattle, that is sold commercially,” said the 39-year-old, who has 13 cows and one bull in Adambakkam across breeds such as Kankrej, Gir and Tharparkar.

Many have shifted towards milk from indigenous breed in the city, and according to Ranganathan, the adoption curve begins with the taste. “The milk is white, unlike exotic cow milk, which is yellowish. Additionally, it has no smell and can be stored, both raw and boiled, for longer periods. We even have a customer who uses the ghee made by the milk to treat skin diseases,” said the founder of VIVA Farms, which has Gir, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparkar and Sahiwal breed cattle.

Raising a cow in the city is no simple feat, however. According to Manikandan, the city lacks enough open spaces to encourage free grazing, which is more cost-effective than providing the feed. “On the outskirts of the city, this is not a very big problem. However, I do not send my cattle out to graze due to the abundance of plastics. There have been multiple cases of cows eating plastics, which affects their health and the milk it produces. This is a problem that must be fixed at the earliest,” said the techie, who runs his business on the side. An issue which deters commercial farmers from rearing indigenous breed cattle is that they yield less milk compared to exotic cross-breeds. VK Ramkumar, who runs RK Farms in Avadi, owns 30 native breed cows and 15 cross-breed cows. “It is true that the milk yield is less in indigenous breed cattle. An indigenous breed would give around eight to nine litres while an exotic breed would provide 10 to 15 litres. For those focused on commercial benefits, exotic or crossbred cows are the obvious choice. However, the health benefits of native cows outweigh financial benefits for me,” said the 34-year-old.

But the rise in interest for indigenous breed cows in Chennai is also tied to the rise in organic farming and demand for organic produce. Cosmetics, panchagavya and other value-added items produced from manure are also finding a place on shop shelves along with typical dairy products.

Local farmers are striving to raise awareness on the benefits of indigenous breed cow’s milk, and Manikandan states that each household must own one cow should there be adequate land space. However, many with good intentions find themselves like bull in a china shop.

“The initial costs are very high. When I first purchased a Kankrej cow in 2016, I had to pay Rs 65,000. However, the cost of one bull will be close to one lakh rupees. We were able to cover maintenance costs initially, but it took five years to show asset growth. The real financial gain is only seen after two generations of cows, and that too if the offspring are good,” said Rajesh Gopalkrishnan, a former sales manager who switched to cattle rearing in 2016. He now owns 45 Gir and Kankrej breed cows at his farm in Tambaram. Ranganathan said he had to pay Rs 81,500 for Rani, while Ramkumar had to pay Rs 75,000 for his first cow, which saw profit only three to five years later.

Yet despite all this, the pros far outweigh the cons, they stated. “People will spend a lot of money on branded shirts, but they won’t do the same for their food. We need to know what we eat because as the saying goes, you are what you eat,” said Gopalkrishnan.