Animal Husbandry
Punganoor Cattle Breed
This breed is found in the areas of Punganoor, Vayalapadu, Madanapalli and Palamaneer Taluks of Chittor District in Andhra Pradesh.
Breed Characteristics
The Animals are small in size, usually the height is around 3 feet and the cow weights about 300 lbs. and Bull weights 500 lbs. Animals are compact with light skin and the color of the skin is white, occasionally black or grey patches are seen on the head and neck region. The animals are having extensive hanging dewlap, short legs and long body, small and crescent shaped horns on broad and prominent forehead. Ears are small and erect, black muzzle and short strong neck. Usually the hind portion is at lower level when compared to the front portion of the body.
Economics
The cows are good milkers for their size and give about 1100 kgs of milk per lactation i.e. 3.5 ltrs. per day. If these animals are crossed with small exotic breeds like Kerry animals of U.K or Jersey, the resultant cross bread animals have proved to be a very good milk yielders compared to their body size and feed requirement. Hence this breed is more suited to be reared by small farmers and Marginal Farmers in the Fodder deficit areas.
Some of these animals were brought to the East Godavari District to the places like Kakinada, Pithapuram and Amalapuram areas long back by the erst while Jamindari families of the district and there is a considerable population in the Kakinada Town, most of them are seen as stray cattle in the streets Realising the capacity of the Punganoor breed for their easy adoptability and milk yield potential, particularly the crossbreeds of this breeds.
Government of India through Indian Council of Agricultural Research has sanctioned a project for their development and preservation of the breed. The project has been entrusted to Dr.E.Krishnamacharyulu, Senior Scientist and Animal Genicist of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University.Since the good specimens of the breed were not available in their native district of Chittor, he came to East Godavari and purchased some of the cows from here. For further information Dr.E.Krishnamacharyulu, Senior Scientist,Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, net work programme on sheep improvement, Palamaneru, Chittor District-517408, can be approached, who has gathered a lot of information on this subject.