Boosting India's milk production

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Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Date
1988
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
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Citation
CTA. 1988. Boosting India's milk production. Spore 15. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/44861
Internet URL: http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta15e/
Abstract/Description
Inexpensive nutrient blocks have been developed for tethered buffaloes and cattle as a way to increase milk production in India. Enthusiastic farmers have dubbed them 'buffalo chocolate'. Nutrient or urea/molasses blocks are not new, but these have...
Notes
Inexpensive nutrient blocks have been developed for tethered buffaloes and cattle as a way to increase milk production in India. Enthusiastic farmers have dubbed them 'buffalo chocolate'. Nutrient or urea/molasses blocks are not new, but these have been developed specifically for conditions on small Indian farms. They contain urea, molasses, protein in the form of cotton seed cake, and minerals. Animals derive sufficient supplementary nutrients from the blocks to enable them to thrive and maintain milk production on a diet of rice straw. Trials in India have shown that milk yields are up, conception rates are better, calving intervals shorter, and body condition better. Large-scale production is now underway. Four factories in Gujarat state are producing 6000 3 kg blocks per day. The blocks cost only a few rupees. During the recent drought the blocks have been used to save draught animals which were threatened with starvation. Source: Newsletter No 13 Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research GPO Box 1571 Canberra. ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA
Subjects
ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH;
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