Socio-economic and literacy status and milking practices followed in middle Gujarat by professional Gir cattle breeders

The surveillance on socio-economic status and milking practices followed by 100 professional Gir cattle owners in and around Anand (Gujarat) was made. About 44% Gir owners belonged to middle age followed by 33% and 23% to young and old age categories. Most of them (91%) were illiterate. Half (50%) of their children had primary education, 14% had secondary and above education, and 36% were illiterate. Majority (84%) of the Gir owners belonged to Bharwad community and 16% to Rabari community. Majority (72%) of them had big family size and 28% had small families. Most of (86%) Gir owners had social participation in one organization only. Of them 64% were landless, while 30% and 6% had small and medium size land-holdings; 5% of them possessed only livestock as their livelihood, while 44% depended on other sources along with livestock. Most of (92%) Gir owners possessed bicycle and 89% of them had wall clock, 42% had radio/tape, 17% motor cycle, 10% possessed television, 9% had LPG gas/biogas and 4% possessed telephone. Forty-three per cent of Gir owners possessed camel cart and only a few had tractor and trolley (9%), levellar (7%) and plough (4%). Only 2% families possessed four wheelers. All the Gir owners followed twice a day milking, and majority of them (86%) sold milk to village co-operative dairies on the basis of both fat and SNF, and 14% sold it on the basis of volume to individual customers. Majority (95%) of Gir owners followed cleaning of milk utensil before milking, but hardly few of them (16%) washed udder before milking. Majority (96%) of Gir owners used knuckling method of milking. None of them followed teat dipping. These findings suggest need of proper extension network on AH activities for these people.