Nagpur: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will establish more than 200 artificial insemination centres across Vidarbha and Marathwada to boost cattle productivity and dairy income, principal secretary (animal husbandry) N Ramaswamy announced during a panel discussion at the Advantage Vidarbha — Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav. The project will focus on breeding high-merit, high milk-yielding cattle while strengthening artificial insemination and allied veterinary services in rural areas.
Animal husbandry, Ramaswamy noted, offers income 365 days a year and has been accorded agricultural status rather than industrial classification The National Dairy Development Board has been roped in, while an empanelled agency will supply high-merit cattle. An embryo transfer laboratory is already operational in Nagpur.Artificial insemination services, solar-based bulk milk coolers, fodder development, silage, feed mills and Farmer Producer Organisations are being promoted to build a sustainable dairy ecosystem. Ramaswamy also announced that the state govt will roll out the Kisan Credit Card scheme for animal husbandry immediately after the Zilla Parishad elections, offering loans up to Rs2 lakh at 0% interest rate. He added that similar support schemes for poultry will be introduced soon.The principal secretary highlighted that Vidarbha and Marathwada together account for nearly 41% of Maharashtra’s cattle population, yet the region produces only around 5 lakh litres of milk per day, contributing less than 5% of the state’s total milk output. “There is no acute shortage of fodder or water here, unlike some other regions, yet productivity remains low compared to western Maharashtrn,” he said.Maharashtra exports livestock products worth nearly Rs80,000 crore annually, of which almost 80% is from the dairy sector. Ramaswamy said the govt has set a target of developing 1,000 livestock clusters by 2047 under the Vidarbha–Marathwada Dairy Development Project, which has already been launched. “Over 14,000 high-quality animals will be brought from outside the State, with 585 beneficiaries, including tribal women, having already submitted cheques,” the senior bureaucrat said. He cautioned, however, that merely purchasing animals would not be sufficient without developing the entire ecosystem.Retired IAS officer and IIM professor Anoop Kumar attributed the near absence of dairy production in Vidarbha to the region’s dependence on cash crops such as cotton and soybean, which do not generate residual fodder. As a result, he said, cattle are forced to stray deep into forest areas in search of food, and by the time they return, much of the nutritional value gained is lost due to excessive physical exertion. Kumar noted that while western Maharashtra invested early in scientific fodder development practices, cattle in Vidarbha instead developed fertility-related issues due to chronic nutritional stress. He also flagged milk adulteration as a growing concern, warning that failure to address quality and regulatory gaps could fuel anti-lactose and vegan movements, already prominent in western regions, to gain ground in Vidarbha as well. Emphasising the need for stricter oversight, he said the Food and Drug Administration must act decisively to restore consumer confidence in dairy products.
