Related Topics

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)
2023 APR   7
Black Soldier Fly
2023 FEB   16
Badri Cow
2022 DEC   12
Dairy Sector in India
2022 SEP   23
Ongole Breed of Cattle
2022 AUG   15
Lumpy Skin Disease
2022 AUG   11

Livestock Development in India

2023 MAR 1

Mains   > Agriculture   >   Allied areas   >   Livestock rearing

WHY IN NEWS?

  • The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has registered ten new indigenous livestock breeds in the last year (2022), including cattle, buffalo, goats, and pigs. This has brought the total number of indigenous breeds to 212 as of January 2023.

MORE ON NEWS:

  • The registration was done by the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR).
  • The 10 new breeds included three new cattle breeds (Kathani, Sanchori, Masilum), one buffalo breed (Purnathadi), three goat breeds (Sojat, Karauli, Gujari) and three pig breeds (Banda, Manipuri Black, Wak Chambil).

STATISTICS:

  • The livestock sector in India grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.9 per cent during 2014-15 to 2020-21 (at constant prices).
  • Livestock provides employment to about 8.8 % of the population in India. 
  • It provides livelihood to two-third of rural community.
  • It contributed 16% to the income of small farm households as against an average of 14% for all rural households.
  • Livestock sector contributes to 34% of total Agriculture GDP (2019-20).
  • As per the 20th Livestock Census, India is
    • World’s highest livestock owner, being first in the total buffalo population, second in the goat population and third in the sheep population.
    • Second largest poultry market in the world
    • Second largest producer of fish and also second largest aquaculture nation in the world.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LIVESTOCK SECTOR:

  • Subsidiary income for farmers:
    • Livestock is a source of subsidiary income for many families in India.
    • Diversification of income and employment portfolio is crucial for sustainable rural livelihoods.
    • Livestock sector can play an important role in poverty alleviation, income enhancement and risk reduction for poor rural households
  • Nutritional security:
    • Experts point out that one of the main reasons behind the poor performance of India in the Global Hunger Index (India ranks 107th out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2022) is the lack of quality proteins, essential amino acids, and micronutrients in the Indian diet.
    • This could be associated with the low consumption of meat and eggs among citizens.
    • The average per capita consumption of meat and eggs in India is around 5.5 kg and 79 eggs per annum. This is several folds lower than the global average of 40 kg meat and more than 200 eggs per annum.
    • Also, studies show that in India, only six per cent of the total calories consumed comes from proteins, compared to the global average of 30 per cent.
    • According to FAO, livestock products such as meat, poultry and egg proteins typically possess higher biological value, net protein utilisation, Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAS) and Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) than vegetable sources.
    • Moreover, animal-sourced foods provide multiple nutrients simultaneously, whereas vegetarian foods lack several essential amino acids and bio-available nutrients.
    • To ensure high produce and availability of wholesome meat in India, it is essential that the livestock resources are efficiently utilised.
  • Employment:
    • A large number of people in India being less literate and unskilled depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods.
    • It provides employment to about 8.8 % of the population in India.
  • Gender equity:
    • Animal husbandry promotes gender equality.
    • More than 3/4th of the labour demand in livestock production is met by women. The share of women employment in the livestock sector is around 90% in Punjab and Haryana where dairying is a prominent activity and animals are stall-fed.
  • Protection against disasters:
    • Livestock are the best insurance against the drought, famine and other natural calamities.
    • Majority of the livestock population is concentrated in the marginal and small size of holdings. Further, agricultural productions get valuable organic manure provided by the livestock.
  • Export potential:
    • India is a major meat exporter in the world
    • The livestock also contributes to the production of wool, hair, hides, and pelts.
    • Leather is the most important product which has a very high export potential.
  • ‘Moving banks’:
    • Livestock are considered as 'moving banks' because of their potentiality to dispose off during emergencies.
    • They serve as capital and in cases of landless agricultural labourers many time it is the only capital resource they possess.
    • Livestock serve as an asset and in case of emergencies they serve as guarantee for availing loans from the local sources such as money lenders in the villages.
  • Weed control:
    • Livestock are also used as Biological control of brush, plants and weeds.
  • Cultural:
    • Livestock offer security to the owners and also add to their self esteem especially when they own prized animals such as pedigreed bulls, dogs and high yielding cows/ buffaloes etc.

CHALLENGES:

  • Low productivity:
    • Improving productivity of farm animals is one of the major challenges.
    • For instance: The average annual milk yield of Indian cattle is 1172 kg which is only about 50% of the global average.
  • Vulnerable to disease:
    • The frequent outbreaks of diseases like Food and Mouth Diseases, Black Quarter infection, Influenza etc. continue to affect livestock health and lowers the productivity.
  • Environmental concerns:
    • Conversion of forest land:     
      • The conversion of forests into agricultural land and livestock ranches is one of the major causes of deforestation globally
    • Greenhouse gas emissions
      • Raising livestock generates 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions
      • India’s huge population of ruminants contributes to greenhouse gases emission adding to global warming.
  • Limited Artificial Insemination services
    • Limited Artificial Insemination services owing to a deficiency in quality germplasm, infrastructure and technical manpower coupled with poor conception rate following artificial insemination have been the major impediments.
    • After more than three decades of crossbreeding, the crossbred population is only 16.6% in cattle, 21.5% in pigs and 5.2% in sheep.
  • Skewed focus on cereals:
    • Livestock sector did not receive the policy and financial attention it deserved.
    • The sector received only about 12% of the total public expenditure on agriculture and allied sectors, which is disproportionately lesser than its contribution to agricultural GDP.
  • Neglected by the financial institutions:
    • The share of livestock in the total agricultural credit has hardly ever exceeded 4% in the total (short-term, medium-term and long-term).
    • The institutional mechanisms to protect animals against risk are not strong enough.
  • Lack of insurance cover:
    • Currently, only 6% of the animal heads (excluding poultry) are provided insurance cover.
  • Antibiotic use in livestock sector:
    • With rising incomes fuelling more demand for meat, India needs to worry about antibiotic usage in growing animals for food, especially poultry.
    • Such antibiotic use could contribute to the spread of drug-resistant microbes, which are already a major public health problem.
  • Lack of technology support:
    • Only about 5% of the farm households in India access information on livestock technology. These indicate an apathetic outreach of the information delivery systems.
  • Shortage of fodder:
    • Hardly 5% of the cropped area is utilized to grow fodder.
    • India is deficit in dry fodder by 11%, green fodder by 35% and concentrates feed by 28%.
    • The common grazing lands too have been deteriorating quantitatively and qualitatively.
  • Poor market access:
    • Access to markets is critical to speed up commercialization of livestock production.
    • Lack of access to markets may act as a disincentive to farmers to adopt improved technologies and quality inputs. Except for poultry products and to some extent for milk, markets for livestock and livestock products are underdeveloped, irregular, uncertain and lack transparency.
    • Further, these are often dominated by informal market intermediaries who exploit the producers.
  • Poor slaughtering infrastructure:
    • Likewise, slaughtering facilities are too inadequate.
    • About half of the total meat production comes from un-registered, make-shift slaughterhouses.
    • Unhygienic conditions of a slaughter houses and wet market are prone to the outbreak of zoonotic disease
    • For instance, out-break of Covid-19 pandemic has been blamed on the unhygienic conditions of a wet market in China
  • High logistics cost
    • Marketing and transaction costs of livestock products are high taking 15-20% of the sale price.
  • Shortage of grazing lands:
    • Due to industrialization and urbanization majority of grazing lands are either degraded or encroached.
  • Other major challenges faced by the sector are:
    • Inadequate availability of credit.
    • Poor accesses to organized markets deprive farmers of proper milk price.
    • Limited availability of quality breeding bulls.
    • Deficiency of vaccines and vaccination set-up.
    • Diversion of feed and fodder ingredients for industrial use.
    • ‘Animal Husbandry’ is a State subject >> hence lacks uniformity in implementation of measures taken to promote livestock sector.

INITIATIVES:

  • Disease Control:
    • National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP)
      • It is a scheme launched in 2019 for control of Foot & Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by vaccinating 100% cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population.
      • The overall aim of the scheme is to control FMD by 2025 with vaccination and its eventual eradication by 2030.
      • This will result in increased domestic production and ultimately in increased exports of milk and livestock products.
      • Intensive Brucellosis Control programme in animals is envisaged for controlling Brucellosis which will result in effective management of the disease, in both animals and in humans.
      • It is a Central Sector Scheme where 100% of funds shall be provided by the Central Government to the States / UTs.
    •  ‘Livestock Health and Disease Control’ scheme
      • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare since August 2010
      • It aims for prevention, control and containment of animal diseases of economic importance such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Anthrax, Black Quarter (BQ), Classical Swine Fever, New Castle Disease (Ranikhet), Avian Influenza (AI), etc
    • National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS):
      • It is an on-line system of animal disease reporting linking each Block, District and State Headquarters to the Central Disease Reporting and Monitoring Unit in New Delhi.
    • Professional Efficiency Development (PED)
      • Under this assistance is given to the State Veterinary Councils and the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) to carry out their statutory functions under the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984 as well as to carry out Continuous Veterinary Education (CVE) for in-service veterinarians
    • Animal health institutes:
      • Central/Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratories
        • In order to provide referral services in addition to the existing disease diagnostic laboratories in the States, a Central and five Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratories have been set up by strengthening the existing facilities.
      • Animal Quarantine and Certification Service
        • The objective of this service is to prevent ingress of exotic livestock diseases into India by regulating the import of livestock and livestock products and for providing export certification of International Standards for livestock & livestock products.
        • There are six quarantine stations in the country
  • National Livestock Mission (NLM):
    • It seeks to ensure quantitative and qualitative improvement in livestock production systems and capacity building of all stakeholders.
    • The scheme is being implemented as a sub scheme of White Revolution – Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojana since April 2019.
    • There are four sub-missions under National Livestock Mission:
      • Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed Development
      • Sub-Mission on Livestock Development
      • Sub-Mission on Pig Development in North-Eastern Region
      • Sub-Mission on Skill Development, Technology Transfer and Extension
  • Fund for Infrastructure Development:
    • Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development (AHIDF):
      • It would facilitate the much-needed incentivisation of investments in the establishment of infrastructure for dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure and establishment of animal feed plant in the private sector
    • Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund:
      • It aims to provide loan assistance to Eligible End Borrowers (EEBs) such as the State Dairy Federations, District Milk Unions, etc. to modernize the milk processing plants and machinery and to create additional infrastructure for processing more milk.
  • Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM):
    • It aims for development and conservation of indigenous breeds through selective breeding in the breeding tract and genetic upgradation of nondescript bovine population.
    • Initiatives carried out under the mission includes:
      • Gopal Ratna awards and Kamdhenu awards for encouraging farmers/breeder societies to rear Indigenous breeds of Bovines.
      • Establishment of integrated cattle development centres ‘Gokul Grams’ and National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres
      • E-Pashu Haat portal for connecting breeders and farmers.
      • Pashu Sanjivni: An Animal Wellness Programme encompassing provision of Animal Health cards (‘Nakul Swasthya Patra’) along with UID identification
  • National Programme for Dairy Development
    • The scheme aims to enhance quality of milk and milk products and increase share of organized milk procurement.
    • The scheme has two components:
      • Component 'A' focuses towards creating/strengthening of infrastructure for quality milk testing equipment as well as primary chilling facilities for State Cooperative Dairy Federations/SHG run private dairy/Milk Producer Companies/FPOs etc.
      • Component 'B' provides financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It aims for the creation of necessary dairy infrastructure for the purpose of providing market linkages for the produce in villages and for strengthening of capacity building of stake-holding institutions from village to State level.
  • Data collection:
    • Livestock Census
      • The Livestock Census started in the country in the year 1919.
      • So far, 20 livestock censuses have been conducted
      • Similar to population census, primary workers are engaged to undertake house to house enumeration and ascertain the number, age, sex, etc., of livestock/poultry possessed by every household/enterprises in rural and urban areas of the country
    • Integrated Sample Survey
      • The production of major livestock products(MLP) namely milk, eggs, meat and wool is estimated on the basis of annual sample surveys conducted under the Central Sector Scheme “Integrated Sample Survey”.
      • Surveys conducted in entire rural and urban areas of the States and UTs.
  • Other initiatives:
    • Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to Livestock Farmers
      • A special drive has been undertaken by the department of animal husbandry and dairying for providing 1.5 crore dairy farmers of Milk Cooperatives and Milk Producer Companies with Kisan Credit Cards (KCC).
    • e-GOPALA:
      • It is web based application developed by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
      • It helps farmers manage their livestock including buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc)
      • It also informs about availability of quality breeding services and guides farmers for animal nutrition, treatment of animals using appropriate Ayurvedic ethno veterinary medicine.
    • Interest subvention:
      • Dairy cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations engaged in dairy activities will be provided with 4% interest subvention for meeting their working capital requirements.

WAY FORWARD:

  • Sufficient resources:
    • Providing sufficient fodder and drinking water is the need of hour to increase productivity of livestock rearing in India, especially in the rain-shadow region.
  • Promoting Public Private Partnership (PPP):
    • Investments made by Private companies, Cooperative Societies etc. can be used in augmenting veterinary infrastructure.
  • Marketing:
    • Trade policies like marketing have to be more effective for promotion of various livestock products like egg, fish, milk etc. and providing sufficient price to farmers by reducing influence of middlemen.
  • Promoting indigenous breeds:
    • Our indigenous breed of cattle shall be promoted, because most foreign breed cattle are not suitable to our climate and even provide low quality.
    • There are some exceptions like Jersey cows, but overall introduction of foreign breeds has not been very successful.
  • Improve infrastructure at slaughterhouses and wet markets:
    • Investments need to be increased to improve infrastructure at slaughterhouses and wet markets to enhance food safety and community wellbeing.
    • Creation of live animal markets separately for each species considering bio-security issues cannot be stressed moreOutbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has been blamed on the unhygienic conditions of a wet market in China.
    • There is also a need to develop more hygienic slaughterhouses, waste disposal and effluent treatment facilities in peri-urban areas and to take up training and certification of producers, processors, retailers, butchers etc
  • More veterinary institutes:
    • Increase the present number of Veterinary colleges/ Universities in order to reduce the shortage of trained manpower in veterinary services.
  • Training:
    • Necessary training and subsidies shall be provided to farmers to adopt livestock rearing as an alternate source of income.
  • Check the abuse of antimicrobials in livestock sector:
    • There should be stricter regulatory framework to limit the overuse and abuse of antimicrobials in food animal production.
  • Research and development:
    • Government shall also focus on Research & Development in livestock sector to increase per livestock productivity to provide more benefits to small & marginal farmers.

BEST PRACTICE:

  • Privatization of Mobile Veterinary Dispensaries in Gujarat:
    • Gujarat became the first state in the country to privatize the operations of its Mobile Veterinary dispensary services
    • These vans provide the services of animal health care, vaccination, deworming, etc to every village of Gujarat.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. ‘Development of livestock sector in India helps to ensure nutritional security of the people along with enhancing rural income’. Discuss.