Abstract

India has the largest bovine population with nearly one-fourth of world cattle and 60 per cent of world's buffaloe population. Yet, the contribution from these animal resources to the national income is only about three and a half per cent on account of low productivity in this sector. Generally, productivity is not measured in relation to input factors as concentrates, green fodder ete since, whatever is available on the farm as a bye-product is fed to cattle without going into detail about the needs of the animal and the input factors that have to be supplied. The low productivity and high cost of maintenance of dairy animals have of late set the farmers to examine the possibilities of substitution in dairy ration with a view to bring down the cost and to increase the profits. A study was, therefore, undertaken (i) to estimate the milk production function and to derive the efficiency of resources involved in milk enterprise in the mixed farm holdings of Coimbatore taluk and (ii) to assess the possibilities of substitution between two classes of feeds, namely concentrates and fodder.

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