Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, Parshottam Rupala, inaugurated a seminar on “Mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change on Animal Husbandry & Dairying” jointly organised by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Council for Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership (NCCSD) at NDDB, Anand on Friday.
Addressing the seminar, Rupala said that to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the dairy sector, policies and programmes emphasising appropriate animal breed selection along with balancing of ration and other such steps to improve the productivity of animals are the need of the hour. He said that there is a need to explore ways to reduce the adverse impact of extreme temperatures on milk production.
During the seminar, the minister released Bi-annual reports of NDDB-supported Mujkuva Solar Pump Irrigators Cooperative (MSPICE), India’s first grid-connected enterprise and Zakariyapura Sakhi Khad Sahkari Mandali, women manure management cooperative.
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In his address, Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board, said, the Dairy Board is committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change and promoting climate-smart dairying. NDDB’s manure value chain uses dung as a source of biogas used as cooking fuel and slurry-based organic fertiliser to reduce methane emissions and also to provide additional income to farmers. NDDB has also been promoting the adoption of solar energy at various levels of the dairy value chain to reduce the use of non-renewable sources.
Shah further said that a combination of traditional knowledge and scientific techniques could make India’s dairy sector more resilient to the challenges posed by climate change. He hoped deliberations in the seminar would help prepare a roadmap for the future.
On the occasion, Dr Kirit Shelat, Executive Chairman, NCCSD said, global warming is an international phenomenon. This warming trend has been going on for a long time; its pace has significantly increased. The adverse effect of rising temperatures has led to a reduction in animal productivity and the spread of new diseases.
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During his presentation, Dr AK Shrivastava, Vice Chancellor, DUVASU, Mathura said that dairy animals are both victims and cause of GHG emissions and emphasised on proper feeding and animal management to prevent impact on the environment.
The seminar offered significant insights from experts for mitigating the impact of climate change on the dairy sector and thereby continuing to provide livelihoods to millions of small and marginal farmers in a sustainable way.
Technical sessions focused on areas like – the possible impact of climate change on livestock in tropics and ways to mitigate it, the role of indigenous breeds in climate change scenarios, and strategies for mitigating climate change through nutritional interventions.
