How To Increase The Income Of Livestock Farmer In India
Sushil Kumar Mishra, 3rd Year, BVSc & AH ,Ranchi Veterinary College, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 834006
Abstract
Livestock can be defined as a domesticated animal raised in an agricultural sector to produce labor and commodities such as meat , eggs, milk, fur, leather and wool. 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. By adopting advanced scientific managemental interventions by our livestock owner they will get maximum benefit. It is remarkable to mention that the livestock sector has never attained a negative growth in any of the years during the span of past 34 years; the lowest growth rate attained in the sector was just one per cent in the year 2003-04. Thus, the livestock sector is likely to emerge as an engine of growth of agricultural sector and can be relied upon for risk mitigation and loss minimization for the farmers in case of even worst outcomes from other sub-sectors.
Keyword
Livestock, Farmer, GDP, Growth, Cattle, Economy, Resources
Introduction
India is
- World’s highest livestock owner at about 535.78 million
- First in the total buffalo population in the world – 109.85 million buffaloes
- Second in the population of goats – 148.88 million goats
- 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
Even after having the highest livestock resources we lack behind and there are numerous cause of it.New restriction on cattle slaughter will severely cripple the livestock economy which is bigger than crop economy; poor farmers shifted to livestock in face of uncertain rain and dwindling income. Forget about the loss of revenue from exporting buffalo meat after government’s ban on procuring animals from market place for slaughter, the real impact will be on India’s poorest farmers, and the economy of livestock which is worth more than Rs 3 lakh crore. The debate over the ban criminally revolves around federalism and religious sentiments. Rather, it is all set to kill an economy that India’s small and marginal farmers switched over to as adaptation to uncertain monsoon and dwindling income from regular crops. In just a decade, there is a historic shift in the agriculture sector. Economic contribution of livestock is today more than that of food grain crops. Traditionally, of the three components of the sector—crops, livestock and fisheries—crops drove the growth, and food grains are a major part of it. As a result, policy and programmes focused on crops. When in 2002-03, monetary contribution of livestock surpassed that of food grains, policy makers ignored it as a temporary coping mechanism of the poor in the face of sluggish agriculture due to repeated droughts. But livestock contribution has since remained higher by 5-13 per cent, according to economists at the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research. Livestock controls close to a quarter of the agriculture gross domestic product (GDP). In 2010-11, it generated outputs worth Rs 3,40,500 crore (at current prices). This was 28 per cent of the agriculture GDP and about 5 per cent of the country’s GDP. Animals are natural capital, which can be easily reproduced to act as a living bank with offspring as interest, and an insurance against income shocks of crop failure and natural calamities,” says an economist.
Role of livestock in farmers’ economy
The livestock plays an important role in the economy of farmers. The farmers in India maintain 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 the resource efficiency. The livestock serve the farmers in different ways.
- Income: Livestock is a source of subsidiary income for man 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 houses etc. 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. 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 labor during 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 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. - 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.
- 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).
Different Ways To Increase Income Of Livestock Farmer
Breeding: Allow mating with superior one. The crossbred cattle provide significantly
higher yields as compared to the indigenous cattle and even buffaloes. The crossbreeding of indigenous cattle with exotic germplasm is an important programme for dairy development in India. Crossbred adoption and crossbred milk yield contribute significantly in enhancing livestock income, particularly income from dairying.
Crossbreeding strategy should be geared up, especially in the least performing zone to boost income from livestock sources. Also timely detection of heat period of animals and natural service or A.I can be performed according to the need. Treasure bull can be used to detect heat. Elite male germplasm centres should be developed for providing good breeding rams/males. Establishment of an open nucleus breeding flocks (ONBS) through animals selected objectively on the basis of trait(s) of interest and selection within the nucleus to produce genetically superior rams/males for use in the nucleus flocks/herds and for distribution to farmers’ herds be improved.
- Feeding: Best quality nutritive fodder and green crops, balanced ration in form of good quality concentrates, roughages and green fodder should be provided. The poor quality roughages should be treated with urea or NPN substances also plays a very significant effect on digestibility, productivity and profitability. The livestock owner’s should also conserve the green fodder in form of hay or silage during the month of fodder availability to make fodder availability during scarcity season. Use of Non-conventional feed resources can be of the alternative to reduce feed cost as well enhancing productivity.
- Weeding and Heeding : Culling of unwanted & un-productive animals. Implementation of good livestock management and general supervision. Remove the less or unproductive animals from the farm. The unproductive or poor productive animals severely affect the rearing cost and profit ratio. So, regular culling and replacement of older animal is essential for making the profit the livestock owner.
- Good Housing management: The animal houses should be located at elevated area. well ventilated, lighted, located at higher level, provision of fan, curtain for the welfare of animals. Maintaining regular hygiene and sanitary condition of farm to minimize the occurrence of diseases and mortality in the farm
- Care and management of animals: Different stages require different strategies and ration. Regular health monitoring, vaccination of livestock and the working staff is required to reduce risk of disease outbreak. Livestock management plays a significant role in improving the farmers income by adopting scientific managemental interventions to reduce feeding cost, mortality, morbidity, age of maturity, age of first calving, generation interval whereas it improves milk, meat, wool, egg, skin production, peak yield, growth rate, fertility rate, prolificacy.
- Role of Government : The state governments in conjunction with research institutions have to play a major role in ensuring that livestock development programmes and services enable the poor livestock keepers to take full advantage. The symbiotic roles of the public and private sectors in livestock extension service delivery and management systems by blending improved technologies with indigenous knowledge and practices for the poor along with development of public-private partnerships, need to be accelerated. The government should give due weightage for establishment of market of livestock and livestock products. The livestock owner get less profit due to involvement of middle man.
- Wide range of animal by-products: The dairy byproduct utilization also provides source of income by different value addition methods. Proper and judicious utilization of the various milk products with value addition and animal byproduct of the dairy, meat and skin industry along with dung & urine for preparation of valuable product. Fecal matters (dung & urine) of livestock is a most important source of bio-fertilizer. Cow dung has been considered as a Gold Mine due its wide applications in the field of agriculture. Hides and skins are tanned and processed into leather for shoes, purses, clothing, car seats, and other items.
- Market : Need for policy interventions and more efficient marketing systems. Different sectors need to tie up and work together for upbringing huge market where farmers can easily get appropriate price for their goods. Government has also launched a programme named eNAM. National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities.
Conclusion
Animal husbandry has been an integral component of Indian agriculture since time immemorial. It act as extra support and backbone for farmers in worst situation like draught. Farmers can increase their income by adopting livestock integrated farming. There is need of tools and technologies for advancement in livestock rearing. Supportable government’s policy can attract farmers for livestock rearing. Farmers also need to explore all the unturned stone to get advantage from every possible corner.
