Bhopal: A Gir cow named Radha in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain is set to make her owner rich by earning him Rs.1 lakh producing 19.76 litres of milk per day, more than any other cow in the state.
Gaurav Raghuvanshi, owner from Talod village, will be honoured by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in Bhopal on November 9 Govardhan Pooja festival, after Diwali which is closely tied to cattle and the worship of Lord Krishna.
The Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department held the competition from October 27 to 31 under its Gopal-Krishna Gram Award Scheme. Entries came from 208 villages the state has designated “Vrindavan Grams”, communities chosen to promote indigenous cattle breeds. The results were announced on Friday.
Four of these top cows were of Gir breed inluding Radha finishing first, with a daily milk yield of 19.760 litres in Ujjain district, followed by a cow in Sukheda village of Ratlam district with 17.230 litres daily milk yield, a cow with 17.166 litres daily milk yield in Umaria district, a cow in Raisen district with 16.350 litres daily milk yield and a cow from Rajgarh district with daily yield of 16.144 litres milk yield.
The Gaupalaks securing top three positions will be awarded with Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, deposited directly in their bank accounts and certificates. Ten livestock keepers will be honoured symbolically at the state event in Bhopal. Cow-worship and felicitation ceremonies will also be held at every district headquarters.
Speaking to TNIE Raghuvanshi said, “Radha is not just a cow for me but an important member of my family.” He said he bought the Gir cow after the chief minister designated Talod village a Vrindavan Gram, and that regular care and balanced feed made the difference.
The Gir is a native Indian breed from western India, prized for its hardiness and milk. An average pure-bred Gir cow in India yields about 6 to 12 litres of milk per day on typical dairy farms.
India is the world’s largest milk producer, and dairying is a key source of income for millions of rural families. Madhya Pradesh ranks third nationally after UP and Rajasthan in milk output.
With a target to increase milk production and procurement to 50 lakh litres per day, Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav on October 3, outlined measures to establish new milk cooperatives in villages.
There are 6 milk unions operating in the state. Their better performance, transparent policies and dairy value chain will be strengthened.
To address the gap in milk production and livestock availability, CM Mohan Yadav is implementing strategies similar to Gujarat. "Compared to Gujarat, there is a need to increase the number of improved-breed animals in Madhya Pradesh,” the CM had said.
He also said, that the population of high yield cow breeds like Gir and Sahiwal will be increased with an increased emphasis on cow shelters and contests for improved-breed cows in Vrindavan villages of each of 313 development blocks.