Updated: 3 October 2026
Pick the breed from your climate and your fodder, not from the highest yield on a chart. The cow breeds listed below average 1,560 to 2,325 kg of milk per lactation and the buffaloes 1,667 to 2,239 kg, but buffalo milk carries 6.8 to 7.7% fat against 4.5 to 4.6% in the cow breeds that report it.
Home tract comes from the ICAR-NBAGR registered breed list; yield and fat are NDDB averages compiled from NBAGR data. NDDB does not state lactation length, and field herds usually give less than these averages. For housing and feeding norms see the dairy farming guide.
Breed table: home tract, yield, fat
| Breed | Home tract (NBAGR) | Average milk per lactation (NDDB) | Fat % | Climate fit and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gir (cow) | Gujarat (Saurashtra) | 2,110 kg | 4.6 (3.9 to 5.1) | Stress tolerant, resistant to tropical diseases; semi-intensive systems |
| Sahiwal (cow) | Punjab and Rajasthan (Ferozepur, Amritsar, Sri Ganganagar) | 2,325 kg (1,600 to 2,750) | Not stated on NDDB page | Specialised dairy breed; NDDB records up to 6,000 litres on organised farms |
| Red Sindhi (cow) | NBAGR: organised farms only | 1,840 kg (1,100 to 2,600) | 4.5 (4.0 to 5.2) | Heat tolerant, but NDDB says it is not available in field conditions in India |
| Tharparkar (cow) | Rajasthan (Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur; also Kutch) | 1,749 kg (913 to 2,147) | Not stated on NDDB page | Dual purpose; lives on bushy vegetation in drought and fodder scarcity |
| Rathi (cow) | Rajasthan (Bikaner, Ganganagar, Jaisalmer) | 1,560 kg (1,062 to 2,810) | Not stated on NDDB page | Bred in the Thar Desert: 50 C summers and under 200 mm rain |
| Kankrej (cow) | Gujarat and Rajasthan | 1,738 kg | Not stated on NDDB page | Resists tick fever and heat stress; bullocks used for farm work |
| HF cross (cow) | Not a registered breed | No breed average published; NDDB model farm assumes bought crossbreds at 15 to 18 litres a day | Lower than Jersey cross (TNAU) | TNAU: suits cooler regions such as hills; less heat and disease tolerant than Jersey cross |
| Jersey cross (cow) | Not a registered breed | No breed average published; pure Jersey averages 4,500 kg (TNAU) | Pure Jersey 4.5 (TNAU) | TNAU: suits tropical plains, better heat tolerance than other exotic crosses; first cross may give 2 to 3 times the local cow |
| Murrah (buffalo) | Haryana | 1,752 kg (1,003 to 2,057) | 7.3 (6.9 to 8.3) | Used worldwide to upgrade local buffaloes; stall fed with shed in weather extremes |
| Mehsana (buffalo) | Gujarat (Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha) | 1,988 kg (598 to 3,597) | 6.83 (5.2 to 9.5) | Good persistency and regular breeding; evolved from Murrah x Surti |
| Jaffarabadi (buffalo) | Gujarat (Saurashtra, around Gir) | 2,239 kg (2,150 to 2,340) | 7.7 | One of the heaviest buffalo breeds (cows average 620 kg) |
| Surti (buffalo) | Gujarat (Vadodara, Bharuch, Kheda, Surat) | 1,667 kg | 7.02 | Light body, eats less, copes with stover and little green fodder; suits small farmers |
| Nili-Ravi (buffalo) | Punjab (Sutlej and Ravi belt) | 1,850 kg (1,586 to 1,929) | 6.8 | Comparable to Murrah; wall eyes and white face marks |
Which breed for which region
- Hot, dry Rajasthan and Kutch: Rathi, Tharparkar, Kankrej or Sahiwal. These are bred in arid tracts.
- Saurashtra and central Gujarat: Gir cow, or Jaffarabadi, Mehsana and Surti buffalo, all from Gujarat tracts.
- Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west UP: Murrah or Nili-Ravi buffalo, or Sahiwal cow.
- Tropical plains elsewhere: Jersey cross, which TNAU rates as heat tolerant. Buy only from a herd with milking and AI records.
- Hills and cool regions: HF cross, which TNAU says suits cooler climates.
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Which breed for which budget
- Low cash and little fodder: Surti or a local Gir, Rathi or Tharparkar. Lower yield, but NDDB describes these breeds as coping with less feed and with stress.
- Medium budget with green fodder grown at home: Murrah, Nili-Ravi or Mehsana. The extra fat fetches more per litre where the dairy pays on fat.
- Higher budget, good shed, steady feed: crossbred cows. The NDDB 10-cow model farm buys them at ₹60,000 to ₹63,000 each (undated), assumes 15 to 18 litres a day, and sets feed at 3.5 to 4 kg dry matter per 100 kg body weight for a milking cow.
- No official price is published for Gir, Sahiwal, Murrah and the others. Check the rate at the nearest cattle market or milk union before you plan.
Before you buy
- Red Sindhi is listed by NBAGR as found on organised farms only, so a seller offering one in a village needs checking.
- Ask for the calving date, the daily milk record and the AI history, and see the animal milked.
- Pure exotics (HF 6,000 to 7,000 kg and Jersey 4,500 kg per lactation, TNAU) need cooling and steady feed to reach those yields; the crosses are the practical choice.
- For cost of a unit see dairy farm project cost, for finance dairy loan and subsidy, and for the overview dairy farming.
Sources
- ICAR-NBAGR, cattle breeds of India (registered breeds and home tract)
- ICAR-NBAGR, buffalo breeds of India (registered breeds and home tract)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Gir (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Sahiwal (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Red Sindhi (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Tharparkar (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Rathi (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Kankrej (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Murrah (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Mehsana (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Jaffarabadi (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Surti (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, Nili-Ravi (from ICAR-NBAGR AGRI-IS data)
- TNAU Agritech Portal, breeds of cattle and buffalo, Jersey and HF crosses (state agricultural university)
- NDDB Dairy Knowledge Portal, 10 crossbred cow model farm (assumed yield and price of crossbred cows)