For a state that prides itself on its indigenous livestock and dairy co-operatives this data can be a shocker. According to a joint survey by the Gujarat Animal Husbandry Department and Tribal Development Department in 2007, there are 4.94 lakh non-descript cattle in the state of which 1.9 lakh are buffaloes and 2.5 lakh cows.

Moreover, the number of these non-descript cattle — who consume more fodder, but yield very low quantity of milk and have no specific characteristic of their own — could increase further. Ironically, the state has not yet drawn up the animal breeding and livestock policy.

According to a bulletin issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, of the total cattle poppulation in the state, 27 per cent are non-descript. However, the department does not have specific figures of change in the number of the non-descript cattle over the years.

R B Shukla, who retired recently as director of the state Animal Husbandry

Department, refused to comment on the breeding policy for livestock, which is yet to be delivered. Gujarat state Animal Husbandry in-charge director Kachia Patel said, “Indiscriminate breeding of cows and buffaloes in the last four to five generations has resulted into non-descript cattle.”

The Tribal department’s move to cross-breed Murrah buffaloes with non-descript ones for a better progeny did not yield the desired result in Narmada district. Later, the villagers had chased away the members of the NGO appointed for the implementation of the scheme.

Ironically, Gujarat is one of the few states in the country to have seven indigenous cattle breeds producing good quantity of milk. On the other hand, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan have breeding policy for the livestock in place.

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