Centre giving final touches to livestock policy

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New Delhi, Dec 26: The Union government is in the process of finalising the national livestock policy. A draft document of this proposed policy was prepared by the erstwhile NDA government. The present UPA government intends to fine tune the draft with equal emphasis on dairy, sheep, goat, piggery and poultry development.

The government has, of late, noted that enough emphasis over the past years was given to the dairy sector which is water intensive and dependent on irrigated fodder. “Sheeps and goats provide an alternative in water deficient areas and such diversification may be supported and promoted in general and particularly in arid and semi-arid regions,” according to an offical document.

India ranks second in the world in goat population and third in sheep population. According to the 17th Livestock Census of 2003, there are 181.88 million small ruminants in the country consisting of 61.78 million sheep and 120.10 million goats. More than 70% of these two species are reared by small and marginal farmers and landless labourers. Contribution of these species to the rural economy is estimated at Rs 240 million per annum. Together they produce about 0.7 million tonne of meat. Goats produce 3.7 million tonne of milk which is about 4% of the total milk output in the country.

About five million families are engaged in various activities relating to rearing of sheep and goats. The flock of small ruminants provide gainful employment of 184 to 437 man days per annum depending upon the size of the flock. Irrespective of the flock size women and children contribute to labour force to the extent of about 90%, according to an official estimate.

The government feels that if the programme of sheeps and goats development is taken up in right earnest it would also benefit 7% of the rural population who are nomadic.

A new scheme on small ruminant development is being contemplated by the government. Keeping in view the popularity of goat meat in the domestic market, export prospects of sheep and goat meat and the fact that wool production in sheep is limited to temperate Himalayas and northwest India, the proposed livestock policy intends to give added focus on meat production. This would call for gearing up of institutional breeding capacities for groduction of desired genotypes, setting up of modern abattoirs in rural areas, institutional capacities for disease control and chilling and transportation services.