In a bid to achieve a 10% growth rate under the 11th Five Year Plan, the government has announced three schemes aimed at salvaging and rearing of male buffalo calves, utilisation of fallen animals and piggery development.

The schemes are proposed to be implemented through Nabard under capital subsidy mode and have budgetary allocations of more than Rs 300 crore.

Senior officials with the department of animal husbandry and dairy said these schemes have been announced because meat industry in the country has not received adequate attention despite the country having one of the largest population of livestocks in the world.

The central sector scheme, aimed at salvaging and rearing of male buffalo calves, would utilise this for meat production and for establishing linkages with meat export oriented units.

?To save milk, male buffalo calves are underfed by buffalo owners leading to stunted growth due to parasitism and untimely deaths. Annually, country losses about 8 million of such male buffalo calves,? a statement by ministry of agriculture said. The scheme will be implemented during the remaining two years of the 11th plan with an outlay of Rs 121 core.

For the scheme intending to utilise the fallen animals, the government has proposed to establish carcass utilisation centers in animal density matrix areas and is expected to provide employment to poorest of the poor.

The meat importing countries insist for creating facilities for proper disposal of slaughter waste and fallen animals as a sanitary measure.

The Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, has reported an annual mortality of 24 million large animals and 17 million small ruminants and further estimated loss of Rs 985 crore per annum due to non-recovery or partial recovery of hides and skins and other by-products in the country.

The scheme with an outlay of Rs 75 crore would be launched shortly after obtaining approval of the finance ministry. For piggery development in order to support the livelihood of the poorest tribals, particularly from the north-eastern states, a new scheme aimed to assist farmers or landless labourers, cooperatives, etc by rearing of pigs under stall fed condition for quality pork production and organized pork marketing in rural and semi-urban areas.