Which country has the largest bovine population in the world?
Q. Which of the following is/are true?
1) India has the largest bovine population in the world.
2) Most of the indigenous bovine breeds have high genetic potential for milk production as well as suited for draught animal power.- Published on 28 Nov 16a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: Only 1
India has the largest bovine population in the world. At 199m cattle it has 14% of the world cattle population and with 105m buffaloes it has 53% of the world buffalo population of which 79% of the cattle are Indigenous and 21% are Exotic and Crossbred varieties.
80% of the Indigenous cattle are Non-descript and 20% belong to 37 breeds recognised by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) with 13 breeds of Water buffaloes.
The Indigenous bovine breeds are sturdy, endowed with the quality of heat tolerance, resistance to diseases and ticks with the ability to thrive under extreme climatic conditions and survive with low inputs.
However, most of the indigenous have low genetic potential for milk production and are suited for draught animal power. But, some breeds have potential to be highly productive under optimal nutrition and farm management conditions along with selective genetic breeding.
