IPMI experts analyzed the efficiency of milk production in Uzbekistan

Dairy cattle breeding and milk production have been actively developing in Uzbekistan in recent years. In the period 2016-2022 alone, the amount of milk produced increased by almost 20%.

But if we look at what ensures this increase in production, we can see that during this period the number of cows in the republic increased by 17.7%, and the increase in production efficiency was less than 1.0%.

Thus, in 2021, the average milk yield from 1 cow per year was only 2310.4 kg per year. Whereas in the Russian Federation this indicator is 5016.7 kg of milk per 1 cow per year (2.2 times more), in the Republic of Belarus – 5366.7 kg (2.3 times more), in Austria – 7275.3 kg (3.1 times more), in the Netherlands – 9148.8 kg (almost 4 times more), in Israel – 12736.2 kg (5.5 times more).

In Uzbekistan, there are 140 goals for every thousand people. cows, while in the USA only - 40, the UK - 44, in the EU - 45-48.

All this leads to a load on pastures, many of which are in poor condition. About 2.5 million hectares of pastures have degraded.

According to local scientists, currently 16.4 million hectares (78%) of the country's pasture lands are in crisis, the number of plant species in pastures and hayfields has decreased by more than 20%, and yields have decreased by 2 times. Experts also note that "the number of large and small cattle in our country is about 5 times more than the Uzbek land can withstand."

Thus, the issue of increasing the efficiency of milk production is currently extremely acute.

To increase the productivity of cows , it is required:

1. Providing animals with a balanced diet. Currently, the share of crops under forage crops is only 8.4% of the total sown area, whereas in the early 90s this figure was about 20%.

Combined feeds are not enough, and they have a fairly high cost. The main reasons for this state of affairs are the lack of raw materials for their production (due to insufficient production of fodder crops).

2. Achieving economies of scale in animal husbandry. The cattle raised by the population are mostly not highly productive pedigree cattle, but belong to local simple breeds. If you can get milk from local cows on average from 4 to 5 liters per day, then from highly productive breeds of cows on average from 15 to 20 liters. The vast majority of milk (93.4%) is produced in small family (dehkan) farms. Accordingly, the size of the herd of large cattle in such farms is very small – on average 2-3 heads. Meanwhile, the efficiency of livestock farms directly depends on the size of the herd: as the herd enlarges, milk yields increase.

3. Activation of the introduction of modern technologies and scientific achievements. The level of providing the livestock industry with highly qualified personnel remains low, including for artificial insemination of animals. Although the use of artificial insemination increases milk yield by more than 30%.

The solution of these tasks will increase milk production in the republic due to the increase in production efficiency and reduce the load on pasture lands.

Source: https://www.uzdaily.uz/ru/post/75150