More than a third of India’s cattle-rearing households do not sell milk, instead prioritising non-market uses such as dung, draught power and income from selling animals, according to a new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The findings challenge the long-held assumption that milk production is the primary motivation for keeping cattle across rural India.
Released on January 20, 2026, the study estimates that nearly 38 per cent of cattle rearers, around 30 million households, do not participate in milk sales. While 31 per cent of these households rear cattle mainly for family milk consumption, the remaining 5.6 million households keep bovines entirely for purposes unrelated to either selling or consuming milk.
Non-dairy cattle rearing strongest in eastern and hill states
The trend is particularly pronounced in Jharkhand, where 71 per cent of cattle rearers do not prioritise milk sales. More than half of rearers in West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh also reported non-dairy motivations, according to the study titled Cattle and Community in a Changing Climate. In states such as West Bengal and Maharashtra, around 15 per cent of households rear cattle exclusively for non-milk purposes.
Although milk supports over 80 million livelihoods and contributes around five per cent to India’s gross domestic product, the study found that existing dairy policies remain largely focused on increasing milk productivity, often overlooking the multiple roles cattle play in rural livelihoods, particularly under climate stress.
Based on a survey of over 7,300 cattle-rearing households across 15 states, covering 91 per cent of India’s bovine population, the study found that in nine states, less than half of all cattle rearers cited milk sales as their primary motivation.
Most households owned one or two indigenous cattle, underlining the importance of native breeds for household nutrition, manure, draught power and integrated farming systems rather than commercial milk production.
Small herds, feed shortages and climate stress shape cattle livelihoods
The diversity of motivations was reflected in cattle ownership patterns across regions. Nearly half of rural cattle rearers owned only one or two animals, with small herds concentrated in eastern, central and hilly regions. Larger herds were more common in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
The study also highlighted vulnerabilities linked to low herd diversity. About 82 per cent of rearers owned only one bovine type, increasing exposure to climatic and economic shocks. Smallholders contributed just 29 per cent of total milk production and 22 per cent of milk sales, pointing to constraints related to herd size, feed availability and regional agro-climatic conditions.
Feed and fodder shortages emerged as one of the most pressing challenges, with nearly three out of four rearers reporting difficulty in securing affordable feed. Declining grazing lands were a major concern in Assam, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, while Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar faced acute shortages of land for fodder cultivation.
Despite these challenges, adoption of basic feeding interventions such as silage and ration-balancing programmes remained extremely low, at just five per cent each.
Climate stress was already affecting a significant share of livestock keepers. Over half of buffalo rearers and nearly half of crossbred cattle rearers reported climate-related impacts, including increased disease incidence, animal deaths and behavioural stress.
The study called for a shift away from uniform, milk-centric dairy policies towards differentiated approaches that reflect the diverse ways households value cattle. Aligning public investment with these realities, researchers said, would improve policy effectiveness while strengthening resilience in the face of climate change.