Cattle and Buff alo Genetic Resources of India

Abstract

There are 50 registered breed of cattle and 19 breeds of buff alo in the country, these breeds are well adapted
to diverse climate of the country and contributing signifi cantly to the livelihood. India possesses 193.4 million
cattle and 109.85 million buff alo in the year 2019. The crossbred and buff alo population has increased all the
time since the livestock census initiated. Among the cattle and buff alo, 52% cattle and 45.4% buff alo population
are non-descript and need to be defi ned on priority so their development programs can be initiated. India is
home of best breeds of buff alo in the world i.e. Murrah and Sahiwal, Gir, Ongole and Tharparkar breeds of
cattle. Mehsana and Niliravi are the breeds of buff alo those are equally good in performance in the country.