Milk production has grown by 12.5 million tonnes in 2 decades: Govt

Gandhinagar: On the eve of World Milk Day which is observed on June 1, the state govt said that milk production in Gujarat has increased by 12.5 million tonnes in the past two decades, with lakhs of families earning their livelihood from animal husbandry.An official statement said that with an annual production of over 19 million tonnes, Gujarat contributes about 7.78% to India’s total milk production. Milk production in Gujarat has increased by 12.5 million tonness in two decades, making it the country’s fourth largest milk producer. The annual average growth rate during this period has been 9.30%, the govt said, adding that per capita milk availability has increased by 48% over the past decade to 730g a day, higher than the national average of 485g a day.The statement added that the state’s 30 million livestock are supported by a network of 1,137 veterinary hospitals, 564 primary animal care shelters and 587 mobile veterinary clinics. A total of 4,710 registered veterinarians are providing healthcare services for livestock, the statement added.Livestock owners are provided with ‘sexed semen doses’ at low rates, with a success rate of over 90%, meaning 90% of animals give birth to female calves, the govt said.The statement added that incentives are also given to livestock owners through schemes under the National Program for Dairy Development and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund.