Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In recent years, dairy cattle breeding and milk production have been actively developing in Uzbekistan. 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 over this period the number of cows in the republic increased by 17.7%, and the growth in production efficiency was less than 1.0%.

Thus, in 2021, the average milk yield per cow per year was only 2310.4 kg per year. Whereas in the Russian Federation this figure is 5016.7 kg of milk per 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 heads of cows for every thousand people, while in the USA only - 40, Great Britain - 44, in the EU countries - 45-48.

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

According to local scientists, currently 16.4 million hectares (78%) of the country’s pasturelands are in crisis, the number of plant species on pastures and hayfields has decreased by more than 20%, and the yield has decreased by 2 times. Experts also note that "the number of large and small cattle we have is approximately 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, you need:

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

Combined feeds are not enough, and they have a rather 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. Cattle raised by the population are mostly not highly productive pedigree cattle, but belong to local simple breeds. If from cows of a local breed you can get an average of 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 (dekhkan) farms. Accordingly, the size of the herd of large cattle in such farms is very small - an average of 2-3 heads. Meanwhile, the efficiency of livestock farms directly depends on the size of the herd: as the herd becomes larger, 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 problems will increase the production of milk in the country by increasing the efficiency of production and will reduce the pressure on pasture lands.