Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Wednesday claimed that cow was the foundation of the Indian economy as it boosts the income of farmers, The Indian Express reported. Devvrat was speaking during the seventh annual convocation of Kamdhenu University in Gandhinagar district.

“I got this researched from scientists of Agriculture University of Hisar in their lab that proved that 1 gm of indigenous cow dung has more than 300 crore bacteria that helps in improving soil fertility and gaumutra is an abundance of minerals,” he told students. “So cow in a way is a foundation of Indian economy.”

Additionally, the governor claimed that the indigenous breed of the animal was best for farming as the cow dung and “gaumutra [cow urine]” released by western-origin Holstein and Jersey cows did not have the same enriching qualities that are “present in Indian bred cows”.

“It [cows] gives milk for our nutrition, dung and gaumutra helps in agriculture, farmers can increase their income,” he added. “An example right in Gujarat is of [Indian dairy cooperative society] Amul where over 30 lakh farmers are associated with this and are prosperous.”

The governor said that he owns 350 cows of seven indigenous breeds including Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Haryanavi, Rathi, Gir and Lal Sindhi. “I have worked on improving their breeds as a result now there are cows that give 15 to 24 litre per day milk,” he added. “So, if we work on such cattle this will not only increase farmers’ income but also help in people’s health.”

Devvrat cited a research conducted in Australia and New Zealand on A1 and A2 milk to back his claims. A1 milk is obtained from cows of like Holstein Friesian and Jersey, while the latter is from cows of Indian origin like Gir and Sahiwal. The governor claimed that the research found that the A2 milk found in Indian cattle “is good for health”.

He also spoke about incentives announced by him for natural farming, and how the agriculture economy of the state benefited from the same.

“I had proposed to the state government that those farmers who will follow natural farming will be given Rs 900 per month for keeping an indigenous cow for its fodder and care,” Devvrat said. “This has already been implemented as the state government has disbursed Rs 48 crore to these 1.05 lakh farmers on December 22, 2020. As a result of this, another 2 lakh farmers have also applied to join natural farming from this year.”