There has been only modest improvement in the productivity of indigenous cows, cross- breds or buffaloes over the last two decades in India (Table 1). The average daily milk production data at kg for crossbreds, kg for indigenous cattle and kg for buffaloes (NSSO, 2007) suggests that the productivity of these animals is far below their genetic potential. Added to this, the in-milk animals as a percentage of the total breed- able population, is also very low, as noted by Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS, 2010), which reported that at any one time an average of 46 percent of.
