#43: GS3 | Economics of Animal Rearing
Notes for an important GS3 Topic
This blog post is a guest contribution by my brother @Conquerias24 who’s a Post Graduate in Economics from Madras School of Economics.
What is Animal Husbandry/Livestock Farming?
Animal husbandry refers to livestock raising and selective breeding. It is the management and care of animals in which the genetic qualities and behavior of animals are further developed for profit.
STATS: Livestock Farming Sector in India (Source: Economic Survey)
One of the largest in the world
· 8.8% population employed
· 4.1% contribution to GDP
· 28% contribution to Agri GDP
· 16% contribution to income of small farm households (avg 14% for rural households)
· Livelihood to 2/3 of rural community
· 7.9% CAGR in last 5 years (Economic Survey ‘20)
Significance of Livestock Farming Sector in India
1. Income
Subsidiary income (primarily for rural families)
- Goat/Sheet/Cattle sale purchase
- Dairy economics (Wool, Milk, and other dairy products)
- Paves way for 2x farmers’ income
2. Employment
- To unskilled and less educated
- Employment during lean agriculture season
3. Nutrition & Food Security
- Milk, Meat, Eggs: imp protein source
4. Social Security
- Offers status in the society
- Livestock as moving bank (economic security)
- Landless Livestock owners better placed in socio economic setup
- Animals as gifts in ceremonies and animal worship (a common phenomenon in India)
5. Gender Equity
- 3/4 labor demand for animal rearing met by women
6. Others
Fiber and Skins
- wool, hair, hides and pelts (eg. leatherDung and other wastes
- 'Gobardhan' and eCOWnomy
- Serve as farm manure enhancing soil fertility
- use as fuel offering energy security
Challenges faced by Livestock Farming Sector in India
1. Low Productivity of Farm Animals
· Eg: Avg. annual milk yield of Indian cattle is just 1172 kg – 50% of global avg.
2. Frequent Outbreak of Diseases
Diseases: Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Foot & Mouth Diseases (FMD) etc.
- Affects productivity and livestock health
- Eg: Lumpy Disease has infected over 16 lakh cattle in 197 districts
3. Greenhouse Gas Emission
14.5% of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions (as per FAO)
65% Livestock emissions by Cattle
Livestock emissions distribution:
- Methane (CH4) 44%
- Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 29%
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 27%
4. Impact of Climate Change on Livestock
- Behavior & metabolic variations on livestock due to warm and humid conditions
- Climate events even lead to deaths at times
5. Shortage of Food & Fodder
- Rapid urbanization, shrinking land sizes, climate change, low yield
- India has only 5% of its cultivable land under fodder production
- Deficit in availability: 23.40% dry fodder, 11.24% green fodder (ICAR)
6. Loss of indigenous breeds
Crossbreeding (Indigenous x Exotic) experiments have yielded limited results
7. Underdeveloped Product Market
- Market: underdeveloped, uncertain, opaque and dominated by intermediate market intermediaries
- Poor market access offers no incentive to farmers to invest in tech
8. Inadequate Financial Attention
- Receives limited policy and financial attention
- Only about 12% of the total public expenditure on agriculture and allied sectors
9. Lack of Adequate Extension Services
Inadequate awareness, deworming and veterinary services (vaccination, prevention and disease control)
Government Initiatives in Livestock Sector
1. Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)
- To undertake breed improvement program for indigenous breeds
- To improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock.
2. E-Pashu Haat Portal
This portal is for connecting breeders and farmers regarding availability of quality bovine germplasm.
3. National Animal Disease Control Program (NADCP)
- Launched for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis
- To ensure 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population
4. National Livestock Mission (NLM)
For intensive livestock development (especially small livestock) w/ adequate feed and fodder availability.
5. Livestock Health & Disease Control Scheme
Assistance for prevention and control of animal diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease
6. Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF)
By promoting MSMEs and private participation in processing and value addition in animal husbandry sector to:
- Increase milk production
- Boost exports
- Increase employment
7. Disease Protection of Livestock
Developed:
- Diagnostic kits against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Bluetongue (BT)
- Subviral Particle based Infectious Bursal Disease Vaccine
8. National Artificial Insemination Program
Aim
- To suggest novel methods for impregnation of female breeds
- To prevent the spread of certain diseases which are genital in nature
- Enhancing the efficiency of the breed
9. Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)
Offers concessional finance to Eligible Entities (including State and UT govt) to develop fisheries infrastructure facilities
Way Forward
1. Fodder Security
- With Accessibility, Availability and Sustainability in mind
- 92 million tons of 500 mt crop residue is burned each year which can be used as fodder (source: MNRE)
2. Improving Feed Quality and Digestibility
- Measures should be taken for better grassland management
- Improved pasture species
- Changing forage mix
- Greater use of feed supplements
3. Improving Animal health and husbandry
via measures like
- Animal Health Management
- Extending productive life of animals
- Improving reproduction rates
4. Genetic Surveillance
- Scrutinize the genetic structure
- Analyze behavior of pathogens and microorganisms
5. Unified Livestock Market
- Strengthen Industry-Farmer Linkages for livestock products
- Increase commercialization of livestock production
- Offers additional income security to farmers
- Enhance downstream linkages to FPIs
6. Veterinary Ambulance Service and Compulsory Livestock Vaccination
- Primary treatment for injured animals
- Mandatory livestock primary vaccination
- Regular veterinary services
7. Practice of Agroforestry
- To maintain balance b/w livestock production, env protection and carbon sequestration
- To offset GHG emissions
8. Grassland Management
- To curb/prevent overgrazing
- Increase feed quality
- Carbon Sequestration
9. Awareness
Regarding impact of livestock/meat consumption on climate
10. Policy Formulation
- To develop sectoral mitigation policies integrating other development projects
- Seek international cooperation in policy implementation
11. Need to recognize One-Health Approach
- Recognize interconnection b/w People, Animals, Plants and their shared env
- Encourage collab in research and knowledge sharing at multiple levels
- To tackle zoonotic diseases
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