Role of veterinarians and livestock sector for “Viksit Bharat@2047”

Role of veterinarians and livestock sector for “Viksit Bharat@2047”

¹Rudransh Singh and ²Niddhi Arora

¹U.G Scholar, ²Professor

Department of Veterinary Medicine

College of Veterinary and Animal Science

GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand – 263145

Corresponding author – Rudransh Singh

Corresponding author Mail ID –  rudransh.chhokar@gmail.com

Abstract

India, a rapidly developing nation, envisions achieving developed country status by 2047, coinciding with the centenary of its independence. Agriculture, the backbone of India’s economy, is heavily reliant on the livestock sector, which supports both rural livelihoods and national development. Veterinarians play a vital role to overcome these challenges by formulating optimal diet plans by conducting vaccination drives, providing medical care, facilitating integrated marketing strategies and advocating for infrastructure development. Looking forward, innovative solutions like digitalization, selective breeding, public-private partnerships and the One Health approach are key to modernizing the sector. These strategies aim to enhance productivity, promote sustainability and ensure animal welfare while addressing emerging global health concerns. A robust, efficient, and inclusive livestock sector will significantly contribute to India’s agricultural transformation and its broader developmental goals.

Keywords-  Agriculture, livestock, veterinarian, one health, animal welfare.

Introduction

India is an ever-growing and developing country that has been progressing rapidly.  Observing this accelerated growth the government of India aims to turn our nation into a developed country by the year 2047 which marks the century-long duration of our freedom. Agriculture is an integral part of a developing country which is the base of all forms of development. Livestock being an important aspect of agriculture plays an important role in supporting the nation’s development. As the supervisors of the livestock sector, it is the role of veterinarians to educate and support farmers in taking care of their animals in order to gain maximum efficiency.

Livestock sector of India

The livestock sector of India is mainly categorised into two subdivisions

• Organised livestock sector – It is the well-coordinated and managed part of the livestock sector which is on a much larger scale
• Unorganized Livestock sector – It is the unorganised part of the livestock sector mostly seen in rural areas which is on a much smaller scale. The consequences of various problems present in the livestock sector are higher in this sector

Problems in the livestock sector of India

• Nutrition– it is the major hurdle of caring for livestock in India. The majority of farmers in the country find it hard to provide food for their own families and lack the resources to provide nutritious fodder for their livestock. Normally the food given to animals has deficient nutritional value and fails to satisfy the needs of growing animals leading to low size and production in future.
• Illness– Due to unawareness and unavailability in rural areas vaccinations are often neglected and required medicine is not provided to the animals which leads to weak and low-productive animals.
• Market– Farmers often fail to sell their products to consumers due to the unavailability of transport and well-established markets. Due to this even high-quality products which have taken severe attention fail to provide farmers with the correct price.
• Storage– due to the climate of India and insufficient facilities for storage a lot of products acquired from livestock sectors get ruined and do not reach the needed. This is a problem which has a lot of scope for improvement and requires immediate attention.
• Social restraints– due to strong beliefs in the population some practices are not supported. This is a selective problem and mostly affects meat production.

Role of a veterinarian in solving these problems

• Diet Plan– A veterinarian can plan and formulate the best feed for optimum growth and production according to the farmer’s requirements and ability.
• Vaccination– Veterinarians can organize vaccination camps in rural areas in order to prevent the spread of diseases.
• Treatment– veterinarians can do regular field visits and distribute flyers about dos and don’ts and various conditions that require a veterinarian’s expertise.
• Integrated marketing– selling and transporting products together with coordination will significantly reduce individual burden.
• Installing storage facilities– Veterinarians along with the government can install storage facilities for farmers which can protect valuable products from wasting away.
• Adapt according to cultures– Veterinarians can manage and plan various facilities and farms in such a way that they work in complete harmony with their surrounding environment and cultures.

Future of the livestock sector

Along with solving the various problems of the livestock sector an important aspect of it’s development is thinking and applying new innovative ideas to improve the wellbeing and production of animals

1. Digitalization: using various modern devices and software to coordinate, plan and control the rearing of animals in order to acquire optimum growth and production. For ex – Using software which will keep track of an individual animal’s vaccination and notify the veterinarian and owner on time.
2. Selective breeding: It is an extremely important feature of the livestock as no matter how well maintained an animal is, it is unlikely to surpass an animal of superior breed which showcases high production. Maintaining pure breeds and producing the correct crossbreeds according to the environment will allow the livestock sector to grow exponentially.
3. Public Private sector integration: The collaboration and coordination between various private organisations and government agencies is essential for the development of the livestock sector
4. One Health Approach: As more and more diseases are being discovered breaking through the species barrier taking a one-health approach is vital for preventing spread of such disease.

Conclusion

Veterinarians need to work along with the government in order to provide storage and marketing facilities organize vaccination and awareness camps manage these resources according to the various religions and cultures present in the country. All these aspects require attention in order to increase efficiency and overall production of the animal, which will in turn improve the livelihood of farmers and allow the country to develop as a whole.

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