Role of Veterinarians & Livestock Sector for Viksit Bharat@2047
Ranjana Sinha1, Deep Narayan Singh2, Ashish Ranjan3, Manmohan kumar1 and Anandita Srivastava4
- Assistant Professor, Livestock Farm Complex, Bihar Veterinary College, BASU, Patna-14
- Associate Professor, Livestock Farm Complex, Bihar Veterinary College, BASU, Patna-14
- Touring Veterinary Officer, Animal and Fish Resources, Government of Bihar.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bihar Veterinary College, BASU, Patna-14
Viksit Bharat@2047 is the vision of the Government of India to make India a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of its independence. The vision for “Viksit Bharat 2047,” articulated by the government and is an aspirational slogan for propelling India into the echelon of developed nations by the year 2047. The vision encompasses various aspects of development, including economic growth by boosting manufacturing and research, social progress, environmental sustainability, livestock sustainability and good governance. The goal of achieving a $30 trillion economy by 2047 is a cornerstone of the VB vision, encompassing a broad vision for holistic development, renovating India into a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable nation Central to this ambitious vision is the agricultural sector, recognized not merely as an economic activity but as a fundamental driver of holistic national development.
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. The Gross Value Added (GVA) of livestock sector (at constant prices) is about Rs. 6,54,937 crore during FY 2021-22 which is about 30.47% of Agricultural and Allied Sector GVA and 5.73% of total GVA (Ref: First Revised Estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure and Capital Formation for 2021-22 of National Statistical Office). The estimated milk production is 230.6 MT and per per capita availability is 459 gram in year 2022-23 (NDDB). The animal census data from year 2012 (19th) to 2019 (20th) shows that bovine population increased by 0.90% (299.6 to 302.3 million). In this increased bovine population, there was approximately 2.32% (3.1 million) increase in adult bovine population. During these years, milk production has been increased from 132.4 to 198.4 MT (Livestock Census, MoFAHD, DAHD, GoI). This increased milk production might be possible by regular research in breeding, animal nutrition, production management and disease control by veterinarian in different research station and its field application by field veterinarian. In meat production, the values of cumulative product on price basis have been increased from 1,05,828 crore to 3,53,559 crore rupees i.e. increases by 2.57 times from year 2012-13 to year 2021-22. The value of output from livestock Sector have been increased by 1.57 times in last 10 years (National Accounts Statistics, MOSPI, GOI).
To achieve the vision Viksit Bharat@2047, the focus should be on sections such as Entrepreneurship Development, E-commerce Platforms, Innovative Technologies, livestock sustainability, breeding policy, Value Chain Development, and a Climate-Smart Approach. These strategies include establishing breed conservation, sustainable development and breeding policy, Artificial insemination, technologies development like embryo transfer technology and in-vitro fertilization, expanding value chains of processed milk and meat, and adopting climate resilient farming practices. Implementing these strategies can not only boost productivity and sustainability but also contribute significantly to India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
The Viksit Bharat vision outlines aspirations for economic growth, sustainable development, ease of living, ease of doing business improvements, enhanced infrastructure and strengthened the social welfare initiatives.
Role of veterinarian for Viksit Bharat
The veterinarian, which has a compressive knowledge of animal management, breeding, epidemiology, diseases, are important for social and economic development. They, with their knowledge, plays a major role in public health, disease control by giving awareness and technical support to the farmers to increase income from livestock production. The veterinarian not only involve in the treatment and health aspect but also educate the farmer about the farm activities which will help the farmer to increase income as well as health status of the family. In the present scenario, many young youth and unemployed persons are doing animal husbandry activities with the proper guidelines of the veterinarian for their livelihood and employment.
Though these roles are very important, the contemporary roles undertaken by veterinarians go far beyond these more visible tasks, and this is the reason why there is a need for far greater awareness in the public eye. It is acknowledged that the variety of tasks and responsibilities that veterinary professionals can fulfil the interconnectedness with the rest of the world.
As educators, trainers and policymakers, veterinary professionals have contributed considerably in the fields of animal and human health and welfare, biomedical research, food quality, food safety, food security, ecology, ethology, epidemiology, microbiology, parasitology, pathology, physiology, radiology, research and development of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and toxicology. They have also been linked to wildlife conservation efforts, environmental protection and biodiversity preservation. It is considered that rearing healthy and productive livestock contributes significantly to the production of food, the development of jobs, income, economic expansion, and the reduction of poverty. Advanced feed formulations and supplements have given cattle nutrition a new dimension as a result of veterinarians’ evolving roles. These days, veterinarians and nutritionists collaborate closely to maximise feed efficiency by taking part in comprehensive pharmacological research and development to meet a range of animal healthcare needs.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying are implementing various schemes for development and promotion of animal Husbandry and dairy sector across the country.
Rashtriya gokul mission
The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) has been preserving and enhancing indigenous bovine breeds since December 2014. The program is essential for raising milk output and bovine productivity to fulfill the country’s growing milk demand as well as for making dairying more profitable for rural farmers across the country. The initiative, which cost Rs. 2400 crore, was extended under the Development Programs umbrella from 2021 to 2026. The scheme will result in improved productivity and benefits of the programme will infiltrate to 80 million farmers engaged in dairying particularly small and marginal farmers.
National programme for dairy development
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is implementing “National Programme for Dairy Development” (NPDD) across the country since February 2014 with an objective of creating/ strengthening of infrastructure for production of quality milk, Procurement, Processing and Marketing of Milk & Milk Products by the State Implementing Agency (SIA). The plan has now been partially reorganized from 2021–2022 to 2025–2026. The NPDD scheme aims to enhance organized milk procurement while improving the quality of milk and milk products.
Dairy processing and infrastructure development fund (DIDF)
In order to develop and modernize the infrastructure for milk processing, chilling, and value-added products, among other things, for the Dairy Co-operative, Multi State Dairy Cooperative, Milk Producer Companies (MPC), and NDDB subsidiaries, DAHD launched DIDF in December 2017. Through NDDB/NCDC, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is providing a 2.5% interest subvention loan under this plan. With a spillover to the first quarter of FY 2031–2022, the DIDF’s funding period runs from 2018–19 to 2022–2023 and the payback period ends in 2030–31.
National Livestock Mission
The National Livestock Mission (NLM) was established in 2014–15 with the goal of promoting the livestock industry’s sustainable and ongoing expansion by replicating the achievements made in the dairy and poultry industries, across species and geographical areas. With an emphasis on enhancing the supply of high-quality feed and fodder, risk coverage, efficient extension, better credit flow, and organization of livestock farmers and rearers, among other things, this mission was created with the goal of supporting the sustainable growth of the livestock industry.
The National Livestock Mission was recently revised and repositioned, and it would cost Rs. 2300 crore for the five years beginning in 2021–2022. On July 14, 2021, the Cabinet adopted the re-aligned plan. Under the Development Program’s , the program aims to enhance the production of meat, goat milk, eggs, and wool by focusing on entrepreneurial development, job creation, and per animal productivity. After satisfying domestic demand, the excess output will contribute to export revenue. The NLM Scheme’s idea is to train entrepreneurs to link the unorganized sector with the organized sector and establish forward and backward links for the produce that is accessible there.
Significance of Agriculture to Viksit Bharat 2024
The World Bank categorized India as a lower-middle-income economy, with a per capita Gross National Income (GNI) of $2,390 as of 2022. It will be very challenging to increase per capita GNI by six times in order to accomplish this change. In order to achieve inclusive growth, this change necessitates not just a notable increase in per capita GNI but also a long-term improvement in income levels throughout society. Sections including Value Chain Development, Innovative Technologies, E-commerce Platforms, Entrepreneurship Development, and a Climate-Smart Approach should be prioritized in order to realize this goal. These strategies include creating agri-innovation centers, developing e-commerce platforms, integrating state-of-the-art technologies like data science and artificial intelligence, expanding value chains, and putting climate-resilient farming practices into practice. In addition to increasing agricultural sustainability and productivity, putting these principles into practice can help India become a developed country by 2047.
Approximately 45.8% of India’s working population is still depend on agriculture, making it essential to the country’s development (2022–23, PLFS statistics). Improving livelihoods and lowering poverty are two major goals for a developed India, and this can be achieved by transforming the sector using contemporary technologies and techniques. Even though India produced a record amount of food grains in the 2019–2020 crop year (296.65 million tons), maintaining sustained food security is still a major challenge in the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The agricultural sector is crucial to the attempt of nourishing the world’s largest population sustainably, necessitating both structural changes in post-harvest and distribution systems and improvements in farming practices.
Significance of livestock to viksit bharat
The livestock plays an important role in the economy of farmers. Combination of crops and cattle both are used in mixed farming, which is used by Indian farmers. Utilizing the output of one company as an input for another enables resource efficiency. The cattle are useful to farmers in many ways. Livestock is an additional source of income for many families in India especially those with low resources that keep a few heads of animals. The selling of the milk produced by cows and buffaloes will provide livestock farmers with a steady income. Sheep and goats serve as sources of income for marriages, medical expenses, children’s education, home repairs, and other necessities. Furthermore, the animals provide their owners with financial stability by serving as assets and mobile banks. In the Indian economy, the livestock sector is a significant agricultural subsector. From 2014–15 to 2020–21, it expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.93% (at constant prices). Livestock’s share of the GVA of the entire agriculture and related sectors (at constant prices) climbed from 24.32 percent in 2014–15 to 30.13 percent in 2020–21. In 2020–21, the livestock sector accounted for 4.90 percent of the total GVA.
Dairy Sector
Dairy is the largest agricultural commodity, dairy accounts for 5% of the national GDP and directly employs over 8 crore farmers. India leads the world in milk production, accounting for 23% of total milk output worldwide. Over the last eight years, milk output has grown by 51.05%, from 146.3 million tonnes in 2014–15 to 221.06 million tonnes in 2021–2022. Over the last eight years, milk output has increased at an annual growth rate of 6.4%, while global milk production has grown at an annual rate of 1.2%. Compared to the global average of 394 grams per day in 2021, the per capita availability of milk in 2021–2022 is 444 grams per day.
Egg and Meat Production
India is third in the world for egg production and eighth for meat production, according to FAOSTAT production data from 2020. The nation produced 129.60 billion eggs in 2021–2022, up from 78.48 billion in 2014–2015. The nation’s egg output is increasing at a pace of 8% annually. In 2021–2022, there will be 95 eggs available per person year. The nation produced 9.29 million tons of meat in 2021–2022, up from 6.69 million tonnes in 2014–2015. The country’s dairy and animal husbandry industries are being developed and promoted through a number of programs run by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. In order to focus on the development of animal husbandry and dairying throughout the nation for the next five years, beginning in 2021–2022, the government approved the implementation of a Special Livestock Sector Package on July 14, 2021.
Conclusion
Veterinarians are at the forefront of disease prevention and management of livestock populations. By implementing large vaccination programs and developing biosecurity protocols, veterinarians are helping to prevent disease outbreaks that may disrupt corporate interests and threaten a global food catastrophe. By evaluating farm animals and regularly inspecting harvesting facilities and processing units in compliance with food safety regulations, they contribute to the development of a suitable market for the purchase of animals and their products. The development of sophisticated feed formulations and supplements has given animal nutrition a new dimension in tandem with the changing role of veterinarians. In order to support several facets of animal healthcare, veterinarians now collaborate closely with nutritionists to maximize feed efficiency through comprehensive research and development.
