INTRODUCTION

Livestock is commonly defined as domesticated animals raised in an agricultural

setting to produce labour and commodities such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and

wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to those that are bred for

consumption, while other times it refers only to farmed ruminants, such as cattle and

goats.

Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised

for meat, fibre, milk, eggs, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective

breeding and the raising of livestock.

Livestock plays an important role in Indian economy. About 20.5 million people

depend upon livestock for their livelihood. Livestock contributed 16% to the income of

small farm households as against an average of 14% for all rural households.

Livestock provides livelihood to two-third of rural community. It also provides

employment to about 8.8% of the population in India. India has vast livestock

resources. Livestock sector contributes 4.11% GDP and 25.6% of total Agriculture

GDP.

At the global level, livestock contributes 15 per cent of total food energy and 25 per

cent dietary protein (2009 FAO report). With only 2.29 per cent of the land area of the

world, India is maintaining about 10.71 per cent of the world's livestock.

The livestock sector contributed 4.11 per cent to the national GDP during 2012-13.

According to latest livestock census, the total animal population was 512.05 million

numbers

in 2012 which means, there is a cattle and a donkey for every second human being in

India. However, this is a drop of around 3.33 per cent over the previous census done in

2007. Fortunately, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Bihar, Sikkim, Meghalaya,

and Chhattisgarh have shown an increase in their total livestock population.

The number of milch animals, cows and buffaloes, increased from 111.09 million to

118.59 million, an increase of 6.75 per cent. On the other hand, population of sheep,

goat and pigs registered a decline. The total poultry population saw an increase of

12.39 per cent.

Data released by FAO shows that in a sample of 14 countries, 60 per cent of the rural

households keep livestock. There are three kinds of livestock production systems in

the world. Grazing system occupies 26 per cent of the earth's ice-free land surface and

involves grazing on communal or open access areas in a mobile fashion. Mixed

farming system has cropping and livestock rearing complimenting each other. In this

over 10 per cent of the dry matter fed to animals comes from crop by-products and

residue.

Industrial system, generally described as modern, is characterized by large scale

operations with intensive use of inputs, technology, capital and increased

specialization of production units. These systems are also described as "landless"

because the animals are physically separated from the land that supports them. In

India, the modern industrial system is gradually replacing the mixed farming system.

So the livestock sector is changing from being multi-functional to commodity specific.

There is a decline in the importance of traditionally important livestock functions such

as provision of draught power and manure.

● CHALLENGES FACED BY LIVESTOCK FARMERS

1. Rising feed costs: Animal feed is a major expense for livestock farmers, and its price
has been steadily increasing due to inflation and shortages.

2. Disease outbreaks: Livestock are susceptible to diseases such as lumpy skin

disease and foot-and-mouth disease, which can cause significant losses.

3. Lack of infrastructure: Rural areas often lack reliable transportation, electricity, and
proper storage facilities for livestock, making it difficult for farmers to properly raise
and sell their animals.

4. Changing consumer preferences: Livestock farmers are increasingly facing stiff

competition from alternative meat sources such as poultry and fish.

5. Difficulty in accessing capital: Livestock farmers often have limited access to

formal credit and financing options due to their low income and the volatile nature of
the livestock business. This can make it challenging to invest in infrastructure,
education, and other areas that can help improve production and profitability

●CHARACTERISTICS

*The characteristics of India's livestock backbone *:

1. **Diversity**: India's livestock sector is characterized by its wide range of livestock

species, including cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, poultry, and aquatic species--

providing a diverse range of products, opportunities, and livelihoods.

2. **Cultural Importance**: The livestock sector is deeply intertwined with Indian

culture and traditions, which are passed down through generations. It holds a
significant place in Indian society and helps define its rural identity.

3. **Economic Importance**: The livestock sector is a key component of India's rural

economy, contributing significantly to the country's GDP and providing opportunities

for rural livelihoods.

4. **Vulnerability**: Despite its importance, India's livestock sector is highly

vulnerable to weather and disease outbreaks, market fluctuations, and other external

factors.

5. **Environmental Impact**: The livestock sector is a major contributor to

greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. It is important to ensure
sustainable practices in the industry to mitigate these effects.
●FEATURES

1. Diverse range of livestock species - India's livestock sector is characterized by its

wide range of livestock species, including cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, poultry, and

aquatic species, which provide a diverse range of products and livelihoods.

2. Significant economic contribution - The livestock sector is a significant contributor

to the Indian economy, providing income, jobs, food security, and other essential

resources. It also acts as a key source of income for rural communities.

3. Cultural and social importance - Livestock has been a central part of Indian culture

and heritage since ancient

4. High vulnerability to external factors - The livestock sector in India is highly

vulnerable to external factors such as weather, disease, market fluctuations, and

changing government policies.

5. Environmental impact - The livestock sector is a major contributor to greenhouse

gas emissions and other environmental impacts. It is important to adopt sustainable

practice to manage the sector's environmental impact.

6. Significance for rural development - India's livestock sector is a key pillar of rural

development, providing a steady income source, employment opportunities, and

more.

● common livestock types in India

1. Cattle: Cattle include bovine, buffalo, and other breeds. They are a major source of

milk, meat, and agricultural labour.

2. Goats: Goats are common livestock animals in India, providing meat, skin, and milk

products. They are also used as pack animals in many regions.

3. Sheep: Sheep are a common livestock animal in India, providing milk, meat, wool,

and natural fertilizer. They are commonly found in mountainous regions.

4. Fish: Fish are a common livestock animal in India, providing protein and nutrient
rich food. They are an important source of income for many communities, particularly

those that depend on fishing and aquafarming.

5. Camels: Camels are a common livestock animal in India, providing meat, milk, and

transport services. They are especially valuable in arid regions, where they can survive

for long periods without water.

6. Horses: Horses are common livestock animals in India, providing transport and

work services. They are also raised for their meat and leather.

7. Pigs: Pigs are common livestock animals in India, providing meat, leather, and

fertilizer. They are found in a variety of climates and ecosystems, including rural and

urban areas

●PROBLEMS

1. Climate change impact: The livestock sector is a major contributor to global

warming and climate change, causing social and economic disruption for rural

communities.

2. Limited infrastructure: Rural India faces limited infrastructure for livestock

production, including animal housing, transportation, and processing facilities.

3. Limited income: Small-scale farmers often struggle to make a living from their

livestock production, facing financial instability and reliance on external factors.

4. Disease outbreaks: Livestock farmers are constantly vulnerable to outbreaks of

parasites and diseases, which can cause significant social and economic disruption.

5. Environmental impacts: The livestock sector is a major contributor to greenhouse

gas emissions, water pollution, and other environmental impacts. The sector also

places stress on rural ecosystems and wildlife populations, contributing to

environmental degradation.
Role of Livestock in Farmer's Economy

The livestock plays an important role in the economy of farmers. The farmers in India
maintain a mixed farming system i.e. a combination of crop and livestock where the
output of one enterprise becomes the input of another enterprise thereby realize
resource efficiency. The livestock serves the farmers in different ways.

Income: Livestock is a source of subsidiary income for many families in India

especially the resource-poor who maintain few heads of animals. Cows and buffaloes
if in milk will provide regular income to the livestock farmers through the sale of milk
.animals like sheep and goats serve as sources of income during emergencies to meet
exigencies like marriages, treatment of sick persons, children education, repair of
houses, etc.

ii. The animals also serve as moving banks and assets which provide economic
security to the owners.

Employment: A large number of people in India being less literate and unskilled
depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods.

i. But agriculture being seasonal in nature could provide employment for a maximum
of 180 days in a year.

ii. The landless and fewer land people depend upon livestock for utilizing their labor
during the lean agricultural season.

Food: The livestock products such as milk, meat, and eggs are an important source of
animal protein to the members of the livestock owners. The per capita availability of
milk is around 375 g/day; eggs is 74/annum during 2017-18.

Social security: The animals offer social security to the owners in terms of their status
in society.

i. The families especially the landless who own animals are better placed than those
who do not.

ii. The gifting of animals during marriages is a very common phenomenon in different
parts of the country. The rearing of animals is a part of the Indian culture. Animals are
used for various socio-religious functions.
iii. Cows for house warming ceremonies; rams, bucks, and chicken for sacrifice during
festive seasons; Bulls and Cows are worshipped during various religious functions.
Many owners develop attachments to their animals.

Draft: The bullocks are the backbone of Indian agriculture. The farmers especially the
marginal and small depend upon bullocks for plowing, carting, and transport of both
inputs and outputs.

Dung: In rural areas dung is used for several purposes which include fuel (dung cakes),
fertilizer (farmyard manure), and plastering material (poor man's cement).

The livestock serve the farmers in different ways:

1. Income: Livestock is a source of subsidiary income for many families in India

especially the resource poor who maintain few heads of animals. Cows and buffaloes

if in milk will provide regular income to the livestock farmers through sale of milk.

Animals like sheep and goat serve as sources of income during emergencies to meet

exigencies like marriages, treatment of sick persons, children education, repair of

houses etc. The animals also serve as moving banks and assets which provide

economic security to the owners.

2. Employment: A large number of people in India being less literate and unskilled

depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods. But agriculture being seasonal in nature

could provide employment for a maximum of 180 days in a year. The landless and less

land people depend upon livestock for utilizing their labour during lean agricultural

season.

3. Food: The livestock products such as milk, meat and eggs are an important source

of animal protein to the members of the livestock owners. The per capita availability of

milk is around 375 g/day; eggs is 74/annum during 2017-18.

4. Social security: The animals offer social security to the owners in terms of their

status in the society. The families especially the landless which own animals are

better placed than those who do not. Gifting of animals during marriages is a very
common phenomenon in different parts of the country. Rearing of animals is a part of

the Indian culture. Animals are used for various socio religious functions. Cows for

house warming ceremonies; rams, bucks and chicken for sacrifice during festive

seasons; Bulls and Cows are worshipped during various religious functions. Many

owners develop attachment to their animals.

5. Draft: The bullocks are the back bone of Indian agriculture. The farmers especially

the marginal and small depend upon bullocks for ploughing, carting and transport of

both inputs and outputs.

6. Dung: in rural areas dung is used for several purposes which include fuel (dung

cakes). fertilizer (farm yard manure), and plastering material (poor man's cement)

Challenges faced by the Livestock sector in India

Improving the productivity of farm animals is one of the major challenges. The average
annual milk yield of Indian cattle is 1172 kg which is only about 50 percent of the
global average. The frequent outbreaks of diseases like Foot and Mouth Diseases,
Black Quarter infections; Influenza, etc. continue to affect Livestock health and
lowers productivity. India’s huge population of ruminants contributes to greenhouse
gases emission. Reducing greenhouse gases through mitigation and adaptation
strategies will be a major challenge. Crossbreeding of indigenous species with exotic
stocks to enhance the genetic potential of different species has been successful only
to a limited extent. Limited Artificial Insemination services owing to a deficiency in
quality germ plasm, 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
percent in cattle, 21.5 percent in pigs, and 5.2 percent in sheep.

● The sector will also come under significant adjustment pressure to the emerging
market forces. Though globalization will create avenues for increased participation in
international trade, stringent food safety, and quality norms would be required.

●The livestock sector in India did not receive the policy and financial attention it
deserved.
●The sector received only about 12 percent of the total public expenditure on
agriculture and allied sectors, which is disproportionately lesser than its contribution
to agricultural GDP.

●The sector has been neglected by 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.
Currently, only 6 percent of the animal heads (excluding poultry) are provided
insurance cover. Livestock extension has remained grossly neglected in the past.

7●Only about 5 percent of the farm households in India access information on

livestock technology. These indicate a sub-optimal outreach of the financial and
information delivery systems.

●Livestock derives a major part of its energy requirement from agricultural by-
products and residues. Hardly 5 percent of the cropped area is utilized to grow fodder.
India is a deficit in dry fodder by 11 percent, green fodder by 35 percent, and
concentrates feed by 28 percent. The common grazing lands have been deteriorating
quantitatively and qualitatively.

●Access to markets is critical to speed up the 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.

Likewise, slaughtering facilities are inadequate. About half of the total meat
production comes from un-registered, make-shift

SCHEMES/PROGRAMMES BY GOVERNMENT

◇ Support to Dairy Cooperatives and Farmers Production Organisation engaged In

dairy activities (CS)

◇Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) (CS)

◇Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (CS)
◇National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) (CS)
◇Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) scheme (CS)
◇Livestock Census and Integrated Sample Survey (CSS)
◇National Livestock Mission(CSS)
◇National Programme for Dairy Development (CS)
◇Rashtriya Gokul Mission (CS)

Contribution of livestock to people

The livestock provides food and non-food items to the people.

1. Food: The livestock provides food items such as Milk, Meat, and Eggs for human
consumption. India is the number one milk producer in the world. It is producing about
176.34 million tonnes of milk in a year (2017-18). Similarly, it is producing about 95.22
billion eggs, 7.70 million tonnes of meat in a year.

2. Fiber and skins: The livestock also contributes to the production of wool, hair, hides,
and pelts. Leather is the most important product which has very high export potential.
India is producing about 41.5 million Kg of wool per annum during 2017-18.

3. Draft: Bullocks are the backbone of Indian agriculture. Despite a lot of

advancements in the use of mechanical power in Indian agricultural operations, the
Indian farmer especially in rural areas still depends upon bullocks for various
agricultural operations. The bullocks are saving a lot on fuel which is a necessary input
for using mechanical power like tractors, combine harvesters, etc. Pack animals like
camels, horses, donkeys, ponies, mules, etc are being extensively used to transport
goods in different parts of the country in addition to bullocks. In situations like hilly
terrains, mules and ponies serve as the only alternative to transport goods. Similarly,
the army has to depend upon these animals to transport various items in high areas of
high altitude.

4. Dung and other animal waste materials: Dung and other animal wastes serve as
very good farmyard manure and value of it is worth several crores of rupees. In
addition, it is also used as fuel (biogas, dung cakes), and for construction as poor
man's cement (dung).

5. Storage: 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 laborer many times, it is the only capital resource they possess. Livestock
serves as an asset and in case of emergencies, they serve as a guarantee for availing.
loans from the local sources such as money lenders in the villages.

6. Weed control: Livestock is also used as Biological control of brush, plants, and
weeds.

7. Cultural: Livestock offers security to the owners and also adds to their self-esteem
especially when they are owning prized animals such as pedigreed bulls, dogs and
high yielding cows/buffaloes, etc.

8. Sports/recreation: People also use the animals like cocks, rams, bulls, etc for
competition and sports. Despite a ban on these animal competitions the cockfights,
ram fights, and bullfights (jalli kattu) are quite common during festive seasons.

9. Companion animals: Dogs are known for their faithfulness and are being used as
companions since time immemorial. When the nuclear families are increasing in
number and the old parents are forced to lead solitary life the dogs, cats are providing
the needed company to the latter thus making them lead a comfortable life.

Scope for Growth in Livestock Sectors

◇Sustained income and economic growth

◇Fast-growing urban population
◇Burgeoning middle income class
◇. Changing lifestyles
◇Increasing proportion of women in workforce
◇Improvements in transportation and storage practices and rise of supermarkets
◇Increase in consumption of animal food products
◇ Demand for animal food products is responsive to income changes and is expected
to increase in future

◇ Between 1991-92 and 2008-09, India's per capita income grew at an annual rate of
4.8% and urban population at a rate of 2.5%.
◇By the end of 12 (th) Plan (2012-2017) demand, for milk is expected to increase to 141
million tons and for meat, eggs and fish together to15.8 million tons.