Serious constraints in the availability of feed and fodder in the country has forced the government to study the ?economics of fodder? for devising a strategy to deal with the crisis which may adversely impact the agricultural growth in the country.

The crisis has been compounded by the absence of latest statistics or data relating to livestocks and fodder production, as there has been no data collection exercise since 2003.

The department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries has asked Nabard to conduct ?cost benefit analysis? of fodder economy for various agro-climatic zones in the country. Nabard is expected to submit a report within a month. According to a senior official with the department of animal husbandry, the study would look at new trends in fodder economy, which would help in increasing the productivity of livestock sector, which contributes more than 5% to GDP.

?The livestock sector is facing serious constraints due to huge unproductive population, with low genetic potential such as low milk yield, low body weight etc due to shortage of feed grains, fodder and pasture lands and the presence of a large number of animal diseases,? Pradeep Kumar, secretary, department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, told FE.

Kumar admitted that absence of statistics is hampering formulating any policy towards augmenting fodder supply. ?We have asked the department of agriculture and cooperation to also collect data about the fodder and livestocks along with crop production,? he said.

?Unless we increase the availability of feed and fodder, the productivity of livestock would not increase. The livestock sector would play a major role in tackling the problem of food security in coming years,? Kumar said. The estimates by many researchers during the last few years have indicated that the supply of green fodder in 2003, when statistics were last released, was only 389.81 million tones (mt), while the demand was 1,025 mt, a huge deficit of 61.96%.

According to ministry of agriculture, contribution of livestock to total GDP has increased from 4.8% during 1980-81 to about 6.5% during 2002-03 and is currently 5.3%. The contribution of livestock to agriculture GDP has gone up from 13.8% in 1981 to 23.8% during 2002-2003.

India?s cattle population ranks second internationally with the highest number of buffaloes, making it one of the largest livestock populations in the world. While the country has only about 2.29% of world?s cultivable land area, it has 10.7% of world?s livestock population.

The statistics on land use released by the agriculture ministry last year says land allotted for permanent pastures and forest graze lands has decreased from 13.97 million hectares during 1960-61, to 10.45 million hectares during 2003-2004, a decrease of 25.19%. During the same period, total livestock population went up by 44.10% to 485 million.

Though the country has continually registered a positive growth in its milk and meat production, it is largely due to intensely concentrating on a limited number of breeds and an increase in cropping intensity.

Kumar also laments the fact that against 31% contribution in the overall agricultural sector output, the allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for the animal husbandry sector is only about 13%. RKVY aims at maintaining 4% agricultural growth throughout 11 th plan period through holistic development of agricultural and allied sector.