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Q1. In rural India, animal rearing is seen as a crucial aspect of agricultural work. Also mentions the importance of India’s animal agriculture economy. Discuss. (250 words, 15 Marks)
Approach:
- Introduction: Define animal rearing.
- Body:
- Explain the Indian animal rearing database.
- Highlight the key points of India’s animal agriculture economy.
- Conclusion: Conclude with a way forward.
Answer:
Making livestock useful for humans for a range of economically valuable reasons is the goal of animal rearing. As a result, it gives rural communities non-farm work and revenue. The security of the rural population depends on India’s mixed crop-livestock farming system, which includes the country’s animal production system.
India’s Status of Animal Rearing:
- As a result of the approximately 20.5 million people who depend on livestock for their livelihood, livestock or animal rearing plays a significant part in the Indian economy. In India, two-thirds of rural households rely on livestock for their livelihood.
- India has a long history of animal husbandry. Numerous breeds of cattle, small ruminants, poultry, pigs, and equine species are among the animals that call it home.
- Compared to an average of 14% for all rural households, livestock makes up around 16% of the revenue of small farm households. Additionally, it employs roughly 8.8% of the Indian population.
- India has abundant livestock resources, and the industry makes up 25.6% of all agriculture GDP and contributes 4.11% to the overall GDP.
The Livestock Census of India:
- World’s largest owner of livestock, with 535.78 million animals
- 109.85 million buffaloes make up the majority of the world’s total buffalo population.
- 148.88 million goats make up the second-largest population of goats.
- The world’s second-largest market for poultry
- The world’s second-largest aquaculture nation and the second-largest producer of fish
- Third in terms of sheep population (74.26 million)
- Fifth in terms of the number of chickens and ducks (851.81 million)
- 2.5 lakh camels, ranking tenth in the world’s camel population
Importance of Animal Husbandry in India:
- Animal raising relies less on external variables and purchased inputs since it is more integrated with the natural environment. As a result, even when agriculture is performing poorly, animal husbandry still accounts for close to 40% of India’s rural GDP.
- Another important problem is that farming is only practicable in arid and semi-arid areas of India for three to six months during the monsoon season, and most farmers cannot afford to invest in expensive irrigation systems. Therefore, raising cattle provides a reliable source of income for a significant portion of the rural population.
The Key point of India’s animal agriculture economy.
- The livestock supplies food for human use, including milk, meat, and eggs. India is the world’s top producer of milk.
- Additionally, the livestock helps to produce wool, hair, hides, and pelts.
- Fuel, a vital input for using mechanical power like tractors, combine harvesters, etc., is something that the bullocks are saving a lot of money on.
- Dung and other animal waste make excellent farm yard manure and are highly valuable.
- Since livestock can be disposed of in times of need, it is referred to as “shifting banks”.
- In India, pastoral groups have raised livestock for generations, and over time, specialised knowledge of animal husbandry has developed.
Way Forward:
An essential component of India’s economic growth strategies is the economics of animal husbandry. Therefore, more actions can be taken to advance the system’s health:
- At the farmers’ gate, a milk recording promotion.
- Bull selection for greater milk output must be done concurrently.
- Choose wisely when introducing different agro-climatic zones with various breeds of cattle or buffalo.
