Animal Husbandry

Animal Husbandry includes various types of practices, of which the most important ones in India include:

1. Dairy Farming
2. Aquaculture
3. Sheep Husbandry
4. Cuniculture
5. Pig Farms
6. Sericulture
7. Poultry
8. Beekeeping

Editor’s Note

In these chapters, we shall study the situation of India’s livestock farmers, and their economies. We shall see the backward and forward linkages therein. We shall study the reforms in recent times in terms of the White, Blue and Pink revolutions that have taken place in the last few decades in the fields of milk, fish and pig meat production respectively. There have been many technological advancements in recent times. The government has established Kamdhenu Aayog under the Department of Animal Husbandry & dairying which itself is under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The government has also set up many funds for the promotion of livestock farming such as the Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF), Fisheries & Aquaculture Development Fund (FADF) and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF).

Animal Husbandry in India

The government created a separate Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in 2019, with a :

1. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
2. Department of fisheries

This will enable sustainable growth and development of the livestock sector, including poultry.

The National Policy for Farmers, 2007 also provides for sustained development of the livestock and fisheries sectors.

Animal Husbandry Potential in India

India has the largest bovine population in the world.

1. Bovine population 300mn: 190 million = cattle; 108mn = Buffalo.
   • 14% of the world’s cattle population,
   • 53% of buffalo.
   • 80% of cattle are indigenous: 41 registered indigenous breeds of cattle & 13 for buffalo.
2. Bovine Variety: Indigenous varieties are endowed with quality of heat tolerance, and resistance to diseases and survive with little inputs – suited to the domestic environment. The fat content is high too.
3. Livestock Census:
   • Done by Dept of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
   • 100% funding is provided by the central govt.
4. Employment: Approximately 200 million Indians are involved in livestock farming, including around 100 million dairy farmers.

Development of Livestock Sector:

• CAGR: 8% for the last 5 years.
• Contributes 25% to Agri GDP
• Greatest direct impact on Farmers: Almost 50-60% of the final value of dairy output in India flows back to farmers.
• Developed cooperatives & Private sector: The size of the dairy market and farmers’ realization from milk sales are closely linked with the development of organized off-take by cooperative and private dairies.

Significance of Livestock Rearing:

1. Cultural Significance: It is an integral part of India’s rural society. Crop production complements Livestock rearing.
2. Economic Significance to the rural economy: employment generation opportunities, asset creation, coping mechanism against crop failure and social and financial security.
3. Natural Capital–provides nutrient-rich food products, draught power, dung as organic manure and domestic fuel, hides and skin, and is a regular source of cash income for rural households.
4. Risk Mitigation: Act as an insurance against income shocks of crop failure and natural calamities.
5. Women Empowerment:Women constitute about 69% of the workforce engaged in the livestock sector, development of the livestock sector means development of Women and rural India.
6. Source of Farm Power– With less landholding and minimal source of income, Animal power still plays an important role in different agricultural operations from Ploughing to post-harvest threshing.
7. Nutritional Security– the variety of livestock from Poultry to Piggery has the potential to fulfil the nutritional requirements of the masses. They are good sources of Protein.
8. Waste Conversion Ratio:The organic waste generated is converted to useful products, best example of this is piggery, which has a high conversion ratio.
9. Exploring Opportunities– Ex: European Union and other Western countries have a high demand for Camel milk due to its high nutritional properties.

Problems in the Livestock sector

Economies of Scale:

1. Very Small units in scale: Roughly 80% of bovines in the country are low on productivity and are reared by small and marginal farmers.
2. Infrastructure lag: From Production, storage to transport.
3. Stagnant Pasteur land– Only 4% of total cultivable land in India is used for fodder production, a proportion that has remained stagnant for the last four decades.

Linkages with processing units:

1. Backward linkage: Feed and fodder: Under-developed supply chain: Slow production, Demand-supply gap, quality low.
2. Forward Linkage: Under-developed market for quality-value-added products.
3. Inadequate Marketing, transportation Channel& Value addition– resulting in reduced price realization by farmers and post-production losses and wastages.

Genetic Resources:

1. Lack of semen banks,
2. Decline in Indigenous cattle and Increase in exotic ones. The yield of desi cows is only 6-8 ltr/day, whereas the yield of Exotic breeds is 20 litre/day.
3. Decline in Bull population.

Development is required in genetic varieties.

Research and development

• Low technology & research. Focus on backyard poultry or backyard dairy. Livestock production systems in India are mostly based ontraditional knowledge, low-cost agricultural residues and agro-by products leading to lower productivity.
• Lack of Innovation and Entrepreneurship– Lack of Modern Skill, Information and Awareness.

Veterinary Infrastructure–

• Shortage of veterinary and para-veterinary manpower and facilities including mechanisms for diagnosis
• Accessibility: The spread of Veterinary reach in villages needs to be increased and farmers need to be educated through extension services.
• The farmer does not invest in aftercare and maintenance of breeds.
• Infrastructure and skilled technical manpower: The ratio between the cattle population and veterinary institutions is wide.
• A large number of infectious and metabolic diseases are prevalent in Indian livestock such as Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis.

Environmental issues:

1. Sanitary standards– Sanitary standards needs are very high for the milk and meat sector. The FSSAI norms are quite stringent if a person wants to export these products.
2. Greenhouse Gas Emission– livestock accounts for 18% of gross national emissions – the third-highest sector after energy and industry.
3. Climate Change – Heat stress, loss of animal habitat especially in coastal areas, scarcity of quality feed and fodder, and changes in epidemiological patterns of vector-borne diseases, etc.

Financial Inclusion is Low:

• Risk Management: The insurance sector is weak.
• Credit supply

Solutions

1. Augmenting Research and Development
2. Strengthening Infrastructure & Services
3. Dissemination of Technology/Extension
4. Re-orientation of Breeding Policy for Livestock: Species-wise breeding programmes should be fine-tuned and implemented for faster growth in production.
5. New Technologies for Livestock Breeding:
6. Strengthening Dairy Cooperatives – Reducing corruption and giving financial support.
7. Diversification and Value Addition
8. Feed and Fodder: Production, quality, area and alternatives should be increased.
9. Institutional Credit and Livestock Insurance: The livestock sector’s ability to fully achieve its growth potential in productivity and output is directly influenced by the timely availability and accessibility of institutional credit and insurance coverage.

Human Resource and Training: It is recognized that for faster growth of the livestock sector, there is a growing need for qualified and trained human resources. Human resource development would be given a high priority in livestock development to meet the qualitative and quantitative shortage of manpower.

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