How to increase the income of livestock farmers in India
Dr.ANKITA CHAKRABORTY, (BVSC&A.H )
India is a land of agriculture based economy and so it is the backbone of the GDP of our country. Apart from the crop based agriculture, livestock also is an extended part of it and thus it acts as a supporting pillar for the whole economy. Livestock not only provides a supplementary income to the farmers, it also provides supplement to the existing farm in terms of manure and other organic stuffs.
Livestock farming in India is an ancient practice of keeping animals and utilizing them and their products .On a present day context it provides livelihood to almost 20.5 million people contributing 4.11% of the GDP and about 4.11% of the total agriculture GDP. India is blessed to have a treasure of rich biodiversity ,varied habitation and climatic zones and so our country has excelled other nations in terms of livestock population standing 1st in terms of buffalo population,2nd in cattle and goat production,3rd in sheep production etc.Owing to such milestone achievements we must recognize that there are tremendous opportunities in this sector which in turn can have a very promising future.
Livestock farming is a “survival enterprise”. This term can truly be justified as it has supplemented and supported farmers in tough times like poor rainfall, arid situations, pest attack in the crops and many such hardships. Indian farmers are highly scattered and they lack a structural framework to work. Majority of the farmers are marginalized and small farmers owing less than 2 hectares of land. So just merely relying upon agricultural produce is not sufficient to cope up.
Livestock itself is a large sector but the income generated is highly variable, It provides income to two third of the rural population giving employment to a large number of uneducated and unskilled population ,also the participation of women in livestock rearing is worth mentioning.
In order to increase the income of farmers it is important to adopt a holistic and rational approach .Any profit can’t be made overnight ,one has to adopt proper strategies to first identify the problems and try to evacuate those without hampering overall profit and over budgeting the cost.
1.By proper management and sanitation–The key for good overall productivity is how efficiently the farmer can derive the product with minimum cost inputs.If the animal is healthy and disease free the life expancy and productivity is ensured for a longer time.Government has several policies dedicated to the healthcare of the livestocks.Vaccines such as FMD,HS,BQ etc are given free of cost periodically through campaigns.However despite of all these schemes the farmers are unable to get the full benefits due to lack of knowledge and interest and hence their animals fail to perform well on a long run. Government and other agencies should popularize the importance of vaccination and deworming specially to small and marginal farmers of remote villages.
2.By extension activities and organizing camps of method demonstration– Farmers of India are largely unaware of the latest schemes and its implementation.So if we want to increase their income it is important to make them aware of the latest government schemes ,technologies ,loan and insurance schemes etc .By conducting such camps periodically a large section of farmers can be addressed at a time. However it is also needed that we can grab the attention of farmers, for that small incentives in terms of money or food or catchy advertisements suitable to their needs can be made.
3.By combining multiple ventures-Mixed farming is one of the most promising and safest type of venture being practicised in India. By adopting multiple tasks like crop, dairy, backyard poultry, small pond for fishery etc,the farmer would not have to be dependent on a single venture. Rather in case of failure of one, the other subsidiary venture can support .Also the by products from one type can be effectively utilized as a raw material for other. However combining and monitoring different ventures by a single farm can be troublesome and it needs expertise in different fields,but by effective planning and skills, farmers can definitely give a boost to their gross income.
4.By increasing the shelf life of the product– One of the most challenging part in livestock management is efficiently handling the total produce. Most of the farmers lack enough storage and in case of surplus production they have to sell it on a low cost.
Perishable products like milk can be converted into other value added products like butter , ghee,dahi ,cheese,flavoured milk etc which not only increases shelf life but also adds value to the product. These eventually pave the way for setting up small enterprises and cooperatives where pooled milk can be distributed and processed. AMUL is one of the best example of such cooperative.
5.Effectively utilizing farm waste- Animal waste are the richest source of organic manure. The dung obtained from cattle can be utilized and collected for agriculture.One such recent example is in my state of Chhattisgarh. Our government has started buying cowdung at Rs 1.5 per kg.Besides cowdung poultry manure and offals are also rich organic manure sources and are also used in making protein based meal.These alternative sources of meal have proven to be more effective and economical.By utilizing farm waste farmers get a double benefit of cleanliness and hygine which further saves them from a lot of extra cleaning expenditure.
6.Encouraging farmers to upgrade their existing stock- Upgrading existing stock with exotic breeds leads to enhanced performance and productivity. By crossing local breeds with the exotic ones ,farmers can exploit the disease resistance property of the local and production trait of the exotic . Artificial insemination is widely used to utilize the vigour of breeds like jersey and Holstein Friesian. Upgrading and cross breeding is also popularly adapted in pig farming and hence provide a promising market in the future.
7.Promoting livestock farming as an alternative career– Today in this immense world of competition, one needs to think out of box in making career choices.In the persuit of todays globalization and evergrowing living standards, livestock farming has ample of opportunities.Livestock farming is now not only confined to rural economy, it has a flourishing operational setup in urban areas as well. Majority of leather industry, wool industry, meat and meat product industry etc have their greater command in big cities and overseas.So young people with advanced technology and intellect can do wonders in this field.
Increasing income and the overall standards of livestock farmers can’t be an overnight task. There has to be a gradual adaption and strategies for the same.It needs coordinated approach of government and the farmers themselves. So being a veterinarian I have tried my best to sum up some of the key points which can bring a change in the existing scenario.
