HOW TO INCREASE THE INCOME OF LIVESTOCK FARMER’S IN INDIA?
Sagar Vishal Sharma, 4thyear, BVSc& AH, Ranchi Veterinary College, Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke Ranchi, Jharkhand, 834006 Email Id – sagarvishal05@gmail.com ; Mob no - 7870883071
“Doubling farmer’s income by 2022’’, aren’t we limiting our farmer’s potential? Indian farmers already have immense income opportunity. Then why to curb them with numbers; whether double or triple! India already manages to flaunt a handsome title in the context of Agricultural and livestock sector (World’s highest livestock owner at about (535.78 million)). Policymakers in India are gradually acknowledging a structural shift in the agriculture sector they have been noticing for a decade. Livestock now controls a quarter (4.11% GDP) of the agriculture gross domestic product (25.6%GDP).The livestock sector is performing well in the manner of production, value addition and export of dairy, fishery, wool, poultry and other products. Apart from its performance, some threats also exist;we need to overcome them to grab the global market attention and focus on farmers individually to increase their income via the same. It is time to restructure and revitalize the present institutional set-up in the livestock sector. The efforts should promote and nurture the grass-root level participatory bodies all over the state. The fact that prestigious universities with great research history churn out large number of technically knowledgeable professionals every year, still the farmers haven’t been able to receive proper knowledge about ways and means that they can adopt to prosper yields and income is also to be addressed at an immediate response. Only about 5 per cent of the farm households in India access information on livestock technology. This indicates a sub-optimal outreach of the information delivery systems (Extension Works). Extension principles and Theories are active only in context. Even by using 10% of government new scheme and agenda expenditure’s on extension work.We can boost up farmer’s scientific farming approach, ultimately resulting in increased incomes.Lack of trust on local animals breeds, lack of Modern Equipment, lack of scientific knowledge, poor prospective about potential of livestock farming and merits of small scale livestock farmers, dealing with local traders and middleman are the only reasons why we are making schemes, agendas and writing articles on “HOW TO INCREASE THE INCOME OF LIVESTOCK FARMER’S IN INDIA?” today
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If it only meant that scrapping research papers and screaming thesis is going to increase a farmer’s income, Indian farmers would have surpassed millionaires, isn’t it? The kind of situation Indian farmers are in does definitely raise umpteen number of questions on the kind of Agricultural education our institutes are imparting and how much of that is being grasped and put into real use in a farmer’s life . More than 50 agricultural universities in India forego the best faculty and publish outstanding scientific research paper, lakhs of students are churned out with technical knowledge in veterinary and agricultural sciences and even then our farmers don’t make out even half the amount of what they deserve for their farm produce. This is because extension work isn’t practiced infruitful way. Lots of NGO’s are working but none are fruitful.However training centres and district level public extension agency (ATMA, SAME) organises camps now and then but most of them combat it as a mere record-keeping formality. Training centres, veterinary clinics, Awareness camps and free-aids are working to complete their formalities and monthly target.No matter the government provides aids to smallholders but most of them either end up cooking it up and having it on dining. It’s futile if aids are not taken as aids but treats.Extension workers deliver excellent speeches and think farmers grasp everything they lecture and will practice things at fields. This results as a sluggish procedure that’s just entertainment and not fruitful.
Handfulof themwill adapt and apply new scientific approach but unless theyare demonstrated, they do not witness the success rates and efficacy of these gruesome lab techniques.Why will they experiment with new procedures and of course why will they trust you with justa single interaction? They don’t even glance at any permanent extension workerin the area who works continuously for their benefit.What if they need help in every step!Nopermanent Extension officer in context to livestock is available in blocks. Currently a Veterinary officer has to do the works of extension and Training. He/she not onlymanages 1 block but 8 to 9 blocks due to the lack of veterinary officer too (in context to Jharkhand, Bihar, and UttarPradesh). Is it possible for a single personto do treatment, surgery, vaccination, and training camp for so many blocks? And even if he/she does, will it be regular or fruitful? Government must consider these small loopholes instead of wasting millions on different schemes. No scheme or agendais going to work until and unless they consider changes at grassroots level.
Lack of trust on local animals breeds, lack of Modern Equipment, lack of scientific knowledge, poor prospective about potential of livestock farming andmerits of smallscale livestock farmers, dealing with local traders and middlemanare the only reasons why we are making schemes, agendasand writing articles on “HOW TO INCREASE THE INCOME OF LIVESTOCK FARMER’S IN INDIA?” today. Answer to this question simplyreclines around the importance of “extension and considerable changes at grassroots level”
First of all we must create opportunities on what we have, by advancing on weak points of the enemy, we can win every war easily. So by simplystoppingthe blame game for what we don’t have, we will have lot of prospective over what we have!Taking local breedsinto consideration, we are forgetting the quality of milk we generate. We have A2 organic milk whose price is more ascomparedto A1 milk and we know that desi organic cow A2 milkis thrice costlier than exotic breed milk. So we pay for quality not quantity. We have enormous export demand for desi Kara beef (as it’s free from BSE disease, free from hybrids drugs, and natural meat quality and taste) What if we organise this sector with the help of extension workers who will provide the entrepreneur skills to local farmers in organised manner, what if we increase our potential of exporting poultry meat as we have favourable environment for poultry rearing and demands for layers (budding eggs exporter). What if pig rearing is promoted in eastern and central eastern state(Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh,Andhra Pradeshand some parts of M.P) in organised and planed way.Piggery farming has huge prospective regarding demands of pork, bacon, gammon. In India, inland aquaculture has emerged as a fast-growing enterprise and a viable alternative to the declining capture fisheries. The return to capital was much higher than the return to labour, due to the low labour input. The semi-intensive aquaculture system would receive the greatest return from projected micro level investments, followed by extensive and intensive systems, especially in state of west Bengal Andhra Pradesh and some partOdisha. India is already first in the total buffalo population in the world (109.85 million buffaloes),second in the population of goats-148.88 million, second largest poultry market in the world, Second largest producer of fish and also second largest aquaculture nation in the world, Third in the population of sheep (74.26 millions),fifth in in the population of ducks and chicken (851.81 million),Tenth in camel population in the world ( 2.5 lakhs).So we have lots of prospective for livestock farming ,What we are lacking is livestock Extension worker, who can help and motivate them at grassroots level and can view them future prospective of Indian livestock farming. Small changes sum up to large. Livestock production has been growing faster than crop production and the momentum is likely to continue. The demand-driven growth in livestock production will enable millions of poor to escape the poverty trap, as the distribution of livestock is more equitable as compared to land. A growing livestock sector will also contribute towards women empowerment. Market opportunities due to the anticipated rise in demand for livestock products will provide an avenue for resource-poor farmers to increase production, improve their livelihoods, reduce malnutrition and thereby, contribute to the goal of overall poverty alleviation. However, there is a need to provide an enabling environment in which small producers can take advantage of the opportunities, overcome the challenges and meet the threats. So this ‘enabling environment’ can only be implemented or guided with the help of some Extension worker who can make the scientific paper and research easily understandable to them, so ultimately there will be enormous increase in scientific productivity as well as incomes . Livestock sector plays a multi-faceted role in socio-economic development of rural households..In India, over 70 percent of the ruralhouseholds own livestock and a majority of livestock owning households are small, marginal and landless households leading to rural poverty.Need of linkage between production and market will be equally necessary for sending some money in the farmer’spocket. This needs to be increased to re-energize the sector and this can only be done, when there is mutual relationship between lab and land. Currently relationship between them are aimless. One publish paper without knowing the ground level difficulties faced by grassroots livestock worker and the other side they didn’t get the right information / technique to apply on land ,So there must be mutual connection through an intermediate person i.e. Extension worker. Markets for live animals and their products are under-developed and dominated by informal traders who often exploit producers. The strengthening of linkages between production and markets through institutions such as co-operatives, producers’ associations, and contract farming is the need of the hour. Institutional support in terms of credit, loans, subsidies and insurance is meagre and needs to be strengthened. Further, the governments and industry should prepare producers for a quality-driven competition in the domestic as well as global market.Access to markets is critical to speed up the commercialization of livestock production. Farmers usually get very low market returns that’s why market prices should be regulated. 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. It will be great if hubs are developed for a particular product from particular region(Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan has large number of cows and milch animals. So prospective of milk industry and milk processing and marketing are sizeable.Assam, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh , Andhra Pradesh is suitable for pigs rearing , then pig farming hub should be established , even facilities for pork export must come about. Private institutions can also be set up at such states which will employ the local farmers and contribute to the economy as well. Biogas plants and cow dung cake plants can also be set by government or private enterprises to encash wastes as well.
Other major challenges faced by the sector are inadequate availability of credit, poor access to organized markets, limited availability of quality breeding bulls, water sources depletion, deficiency of vaccines and vaccination set-up, diversion of feed and fodder ingredients for industrial use. If all these threats are addressed, a farmer will flourish unprecedentedly. Mixed Rearing can not only help them in cashing agricultural produce but also cattle products. Artificial insemination centres should be set up to enhance productivity through cattle. Government must consider small loopholes work on them, instead of wasting millions on different schemes. No scheme or agenda is going to work until and unless they consider changes at grassroots level. Promoting our desi product and find prospective on them and improving them will definitely make our farmers at global market. Promoting Extension workers on regular basis not for completing target but for viewing the betterment of livestock sector, demonstrating them and informing researcher about the problem faced by them at ground level. it will be more fruitful if Extension officer post is created and they are given 2 to 3 village for their future prospective and development, regular inspection getting result and working on lacking will definitely improve the one village two and so on, Definitely one day our country will be at better stage in livestock sector and wethen will not restrict our farmer potential to double or triple. So by simply stopping the blame game for what we don’t have, we will have lot of prospective over what we have!
References:-
Books – 1) Meat and Meat product Technology by B.D Sharma
Reports – 1) Report on Doubling Farmer’s income by 2020
2) Basic Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Statistics 2014
