New Dehli – Everyone fears climate change, but in fact there will be losers and winners. India is lurking among the winners, at least in the livestock market. Cows are sacred in India and therefore are not slaughtered (although India is a major exporter of buffalo meat, which is also a bovine, but is not sacred). However, there are no impediments to the export of live cattle for breeding or dairy purposes. And Indian cows have particular qualities, which make them even sought after by large cattle-producing countries, such as Australia, Argentina and Brazil.
They are resistant to ticks, to heat, and to hold on even when the forage is inadequate. Radha Mohan Singh, India's agriculture minister, said climate change will reduce cow productivity everywhere, but not in India. India exports both live animals and 'germplasm' (semen and embryos) of its bovine varieties. Indian cows, especially the Gir and Kankrej varieties, both from Gujarat, as well as Ongole, have a high milk yield and are resistant to 'mad cow' disease.
Attachments: The Economic Times article
