Estimation of Economic Losses due to Clinical Mastitis in Crossbred Cattle in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State

Mastitis is a significant lactation disorder that considerably influences dairy farming. The crossbreeding program and Operation Flood increased the crossbred bovine population, leading to a higher prevalence of mastitis, mainly due to management challenges such as inadequate milking practices, poor hygiene and suboptimal housing conditions, etc. Consequently, this has led to a significant increase in economic losses. The study examined the measurement of financial damages linked to clinical mastitis in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, considering milk loss, labour expenses, treatment expenditures and animal replacement loss costs. Stratified sampling (based on rainfall levels) and multi-stage sampling (tehsil → village → household) from June 2015 to December 2016 were conducted by in-depth personal one-on-one interviews with farmers who owned at least five crossbred cattle. The prevalence of clinical mastitis in high, medium and low rainfall regions was found to be 22.98%, 17.88% and 14.95%, respectively. The treatment cost varied from ₹ 880 to ₹ 889 across the regions. The replacement loss cost varied from ₹ 1825 to ₹ 2766 across regions. The per animal cost affected by clinical mastitis was ₹ 1489.39, ₹ 1506.78 and ₹ 1724.31 in high, medium and low rainfall regions, respectively, which was calculated by combining milk loss data, treatment cost and replacement loss cost of the animal. The projected economic losses from clinical mastitis were ₹ 14.12 crore and ₹ 54.47 crore in crossbred cows within the Ahmednagar district and in Maharashtra state, respectively. This study seeks to provide valuable insights into the financial losses incurred due to clinical mastitis in the Ahmednagar district.