Animal Nutrition activities focus on the development and implementation of advanced feed and fodder technologies, programs and strategies to enhance milk production efficiency, reduce feeding costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions and encourage environmentally sustainable practices.
Animal nutrition plays a crucial role in exploiting the genetic potential of dairy animals. Proper and adequate nutrition helps dairy animals in producing and reproducing optimally thus ensuring profitability in dairy farming for milk producers.
Overview of animal nutrition activities:
- NDDB assists dairy cooperatives in bringing efficiencies in animal feeding, thereby optimizing milk production cost, as feeding alone accounts for 70% of total cost of milk production.
- Provides technical assistance and capacity building support to cooperative cattle feed and seed processing plants.
- Supports and promotes quality fodder seed production of improved fodder crop varieties.
- Develops Cattle Feed variants, feed supplements, technologies (Bypass Protein, Bypass Fat, UMMB, Silage, TMR) and programmes (Ration Balancing Program and Calf Rearing Program) pertaining to feed and fodder.
- Strive for reducing the environmental impact of dairying through various feed and fodder interventions.
Initiatives undertaken to improve animal nutrition:
- Ration Balancing Programme
- Calf Rearing Program
- Providing Technical Support to Cattle Feed Plants
- Promoting Bypass Protein Feed
- Developing Feed Supplements
- Enhancing Green Fodder Production
- Optimizing Crop Residue Management
- Promoting Fodder Conservation through Silage
- Advocating Total Mixed Ration (TMR) Feeding
- Mitigating Enteric Methane Emissions
- Implementing Sustainable Farm Practices for GHG Mitigation
- Animal nutrition activities under JICA-DTC
- Fodder Seed Production under National Livestock Mission (NLM)