One-third of Indian cattle rearers do not sell milk, CEEW study reveals

Surveying over 7,300 households across 15 states, the study highlights that indigenous cattle play a critical role in integrated farming systems.

More than one-third of cattle rearers in India do not sell milk, according to a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Rather, they prioritise non-market-oriented uses of bovines.

The study is based on a survey of over 7,300 cattle-rearing households across 15 states, representing 91 per cent of India’s bovine population (including cows, buffaloes, bulls, and bullocks). The study examines how cattle rearing functions as a livelihood system alongside this amid a changing climate.

According to the study titled ‘Cattle and Community in a Changing Climate’, seven per cent of rearers keep cattle exclusively for non-milk purposes such as dung, draught power, or income from selling animals. The share rises to around 15 per cent in states such as West Bengal and Maharashtra. Around 74 per cent of farmers value dung for manure, fuel, or sale, and many depend on cattle for draught power and broader farm support.

Indigenous cattle play a critical role in these non-market uses, particularly within integrated farming systems. More than half of the rearers in states such as Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh prioritise household milk consumption and dung use over milk sales, and over 30 per cent prioritise non-milk benefits in relatively formalised dairy states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Challenges

Cattle rearers also highlighted a range of challenges that they face. Three out of four rearers reported facing feed and fodder shortages. While fodder surpluses exist in some regions, affordability concerns persist in most states, and shrinking grazing lands and limited land for fodder cultivation compound the problem. Awareness of key government feeding interventions remains low.

Less than a quarter of rearers report animal health and breeding challenges, showcasing the success of continued policy focus on improving coverage of artificial insemination, vaccination, and animal de-worming, it said.

Climate change

The CEEW study finds that 54 per cent of buffalo rearers, 50 per cent of cross-bred rearers, and 41 per cent of indigenous cattle rearers report climate-related impacts. These include higher disease incidence and mortality, as well as heat-induced stress and restlessness in their animals. While indigenous rearers are most resilient to a changing climate, many rearers seeking to expand their herds want to move to higher-yielding cross-breds and buffaloes. The study cautions that such shifts could increase the sector’s vulnerability to climate stress, and calls for adaptive measures.

CEEW highlights that half of India’s rural cattle rearers own just one or two animals. These small herds are concentrated in hilly, central, and eastern regions, while larger herds (over five animals) are more prevalent in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab.

The study recommends that livestock and allied programmes, including the National Livestock Mission and related state schemes, adopt more targeted approaches aligned with rearer typologies and regional contexts. Priorities include improving last-mile veterinary services, supporting non-milk value chains such as dung-based energy and manure, and integrating climate considerations into breeding choices and animal housing.

Future-proofing sector

Quoting Abhishek Jain, Fellow and Director, Green Economy and Impact Innovations, CEEW, a media statement said: “India’s dairy sector policies are primarily focused on milk output, while cattle rearing on the ground functions as a much broader livelihood system. Moreover, as the CEEW study shows, the realities, contexts, challenges and motivations of rearers vary significantly across states and farmer typologies.”

Ruchira Goyal, Programme Associate, CEEW, said feed and fodder shortages cut across regions, animal types, and herd sizes. Yet adoption of basic feeding interventions remains low. Addressing these gaps, through stronger extension services and improved fodder supply chains, can deliver immediate gains for small rearers.

To future-proof the sector in the face of rising climate stress and realise the true potential of genetic improvements, budgetary allocations must expand beyond breeding and vaccination to support decentralised, localised feed and fodder solutions. These solutions must respond to local needs: from promoting hydroponics and azolla cultivation in drier, land-constrained regions to protecting common grazing lands in states like Assam. Such investments can simultaneously improve productivity, resilience, and environmental sustainability, Goyal said.

Published on January 20, 2026