AN ESTIMATE OF THE FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF MILCH AND OTHER
CATTLE IN INDIA*
By L. C. SIKKA, Assistant Director of Agriculture (Livestock), Bengal
(Received for publication on 14 May 1946)
T HE Advisory Board of the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research has issued a plan for the
development of Indian Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. In order to achieve national suffi-
ciency in human foodstuffs (for a population of 400 millions), in that plan, the minimum targets laid
down are to increase the existing production of cereals by 10 per cent, pulses by 20 per cent, fats and
oils by 250 per cent, fruits by 50 per cent, vegetables by 100 per cent, milk by 300 per cent and fish and
eggs by 300 per cent. Furthermore, with a view to provide adequate supplies of animal foods neces-
sary for the increased outturn of work and milk, it has been stated that the present production of oil
cakes and other concentrates (estimated at 3.75 million tons) must be increased by 400 per cent and of
roughages (estimated production 175 million tons) by 55 per cent. This note has been written (a) to
show the approximate requirements of our bovine population in the light of that plan, and (b) to
broadly indicate the adjustments, which may be made in the existing agricultural practice, in order
to provide these requirements.
FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF THE INDIAN BOVINE STOCK
Estimates have to be formulated of requirements for (a) milk production, (b) work, and (c) growth
of the bovine stock required to attain the foregoing targets. To be accurate such estimates must be
based on the actual requirements of different nutrients (digestible protein, starch equivalent, etc.)
for each purpose, a point overlooked, in most cases, in the past [Burns, 1944].
It should be obvious that because of the great variations in the quality and, therefore, requirements
of animals in different parts of India, the all-India estimate of requirements ought to be a composite
of regional estimates. Unfortunately, however, it is not possible to prepare regional estimates with
any measure of accuracy. This is because, firstly, it is not easy to judge correctly the number of work
and milch animals and youngstock that will be required in each region to supply its requirements,
since that must depend upon the improvement which may be effected through better feeding, improved
management, proper breeding, and disease control in the existing stocks of each region; and secondly
our knowledge regarding the optimum food requirements of different types of cattle of each region is
extremely imperfect. It is essential that immediate steps be taken to obtain this information, so that
the regional estimates can be prepared accurately. Without that no definite planning can be possible.
An all-India estimate, based on average estimated requirements for all regions, must, therefore, be of
somewhat academic interest. However, it should serve as a first approximation in indicating the
total requirements for the country, and thereby showing the lee-way we will have to make up to
provide these requirements. It is, therefore, given here for what it is worth. Because of the paucity
of the required data only an estimate for the British India is presented in this note.
The total quantity of milk required in British India may be taken at 44 million tons. Assuming
that the existing annual production per animal is 750 lb., which may be increased by 60 per cent
[Burns, 1944] through improved feeding, management and disease control (thus giving an annual
yield of 1200 lb. per animal), some 82.3 million milch cattle will be required to produce the required
quantity of milk. Taking into account the milk production by goats, the foregoing number of milch
cattle may be reduced to 81 millions, compared with the existing number of 54 millions (Agricultural
* Presented before the Crops and Soils Wing meeting held on December 1945, at Delhi.
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