Sheep Husbandry Status and Sheep Breed Improvement Programmes in India

Sheep Husbandry Status and Sheep Breed Improvement Programmes in India

Kanta Godara¹, R. S. Godara^2*, Akansha Sharma³, and Mahindra Sinver⁴

                    ^1&3 PG Scholars (LPM), College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner

               ² Scientist (LPM), ICAR- CSWRI Avikanagar, Rajasthan

                    ⁴ PG Scholar (LPM), ICAR- IVRI, Izatnagar, Bareilly

Corresponding author mail- rg7012@gmail.com

 Introduction-

India is predominantly an agricultural country where livestock play an important role in the rural economy. Among livestock, indigenous sheep that has multi-facet utility for wool, meat, skin, manure and to some extent milk and forms a valuable constituent of the rural economy especially in the arid, semi-arid and mountainous areas of the country. Around 5.5 million of small and marginal farmers and landless labourers are solely dependent on sheep production for earning their livelihood because the sheep suit the need for the small landholder and village system due to low initial investment, ease of rearing, and high feed conversion efficiency. Besides this, sheep are very well adapted to the harsh climate, long migration, resistance to tropical diseases, poor nutrition, and shortage of drinking water and water quality.

Population and Production statistics

In India from post-independence 1951 (39.10 million) till 2019 (74.26 million), the sheep population increased by 89 %. Globally, India has the second highest sheep inventory after China and has good productive indigenous sheep breeds. India is a rich repository of sheep genetic resources, having 45 registered breeds of sheep according to NBAGR, 2024. There are about 74.26 million sheep in the country as per 20^th Livestock Census (2019). The population of sheep in 2019 increased by 14.1 % over the 2012 census which showed the importance of sheep in the present scenario of livestock husbandry. About 85% of sheep in the country are concentrated in seven states, namely Telangana (25.72%), Andhra Pradesh (23.70%), Karnataka (14.95%), Rajasthan (10.64%), Tamil Nadu (6.06%), Jammu & Kashmir (4.31%) and Maharashtra (3.64%).

As per the 20^th livestock census, sheep’s contribution is 13.8% of the total livestock population in the country, mainly consisting of non-descript sheep (50.6%) followed by indigenous breeds (43.9%) and exotic/crossbreds (5.5%). Among the pure exotic breeds, the share of Corriedale is highest, followed by Merino and Rambouillet. Highest population share of Nellore breed (20%) in indigenous category followed by Bellary, Marwari, Deccani, Kenguri and Mecheri. In our country, a sizable population of sheep is non-descript due to indiscriminate breeding and intermixing of breeds.

The total meat production in the country is 9.77 million tonnes (2022-23). Sheep contributes nearly 1.03(10.51%) of the total meat production of the country. The total wool production in the country is 33.61 million kgs. The top 5 wool producing States are Rajasthan (47.98%), Jammu and Kashmir (22.55%), Gujarat (6.01%), Maharashtra (4.73%) and Himachal Pradesh (4.27%).

 Classification of sheep breeds based on their geographical presence and utility

(a) Southern Peninsular Region: This region is semiarid in the central peninsula and hot and humid along the coast and comprising highest number of sheep. It comprises the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other territories in the central area. This region having mainly hairy breed mainly reared for meat production.

(b) North Western arid and semi-arid region: This region has second largest population of sheep and comprises of the state of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, plains of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh having carpet wool type sheep breeds.

(c) North Temperate Region: This region comprises Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh,  Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. This region consist mainly wool/ apparel type sheep breeds.

(d) Eastern Region: This region is mostly hot and humid, except for some parts of eastern states, which are sub-temperate and comprises the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim. The breeds of this region are mainly of meat/ wool type.

Sheep genetic improvement programmes:

The All-India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP): AICRP on Sheep and Goats were launched in 1971 by ICAR to evolve ideal breeds suitable under specific agro-climatic conditions and to generate information on reproductive, growth and production performance and estimates of genetic parameters of important economic traits.

The Network Project on Sheep Improvement (NWPSI): NWPSI came into existence on 1 April, 1990, when all the centres of All India Coordinated Research Project on Sheep Breeding (AICRP SB) merged to NWPSI. The main objective of this project was to improve indigenous sheep breeds through selection and inter-se mating primarily for mutton and also for wool production. This programme aims at improvement of indigenous sheep breeds under farm conditions wherein the ram lambs are first ranked using selection index and selected rams are used for mating by the age of 18 months. Subsequently these rams are again evaluated based on their progeny performance and best 2-3 rams are selected and used for further breeding.

Centres of NWPSI in the country

Mega Sheep Seed Project (MSSP): MSSP was started on 1^st April, 2009. The main objective of the project was production of 80 breeding rams of each breed of sheep annually and to cover about 8000 breeding ewes using selected rams by the end of XI plan (2009-12). The project was sanctioned with four cooperating units.

Cooperating units under MSSP

National Livestock Mission (NLM): National Livestock Mission (NLM) launched in financial year 2014-15 seeks to ensure quantitative and qualitative improvement in livestock production systems and capacity building of all stakeholders. The scheme is being implemented as a sub scheme of White Revolution – Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojana since April 2019. The focus of the scheme is on entrepreneurship development and breed improvement in poultry, sheep, goat and piggery including feed and fodder development.

Synthetic (Crossbred) sheep developed in India

Advantages of Sheep Farming-

• Sheep do not need expensive buildings to house them and less labour intensive than other kinds of livestock.
• The foundation stock are relatively cheap and the flock can be multiplied rapidly.
• Sheep are economical converter of grass into meat and wool.
• Sheep will eat varied kinds of plants compared to other kind of livestock. This makes them excellent weed destroyer.
• Unlike goats, sheep hardly damage any tree.
• The production of wool, meat and manure provides three different sources of income to the shepherd.
• The structure of their lips helps them to clean grains lost at harvest time and thus convert waste feed into profitable products.
• Mutton is one kind of meat towards which there is no prejudice by any community in India and further development of superior breeds for mutton production will have a great scope in the developing economy of India.

 SWOT analysis of Sheep Farming Sector in India

Conclusion:

India is bestowed with the vast sheep diversity. There is a need for conservation as well as genetic improvement in existing breeds. As demand for mutton is growing due to increasing human population, prolific breeds may be developed so that higher ewe production efficiency can be achieved. Intensive and semi-intensive, sheep farming with scientific approach must be followed as rangeland is decreased with time. A sizable chunk of sheep farmers practice pastoralism, constraints of pastoralism should be entrained by the government.

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