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Home / Agriculture / Livestock / Role of Livestock in Indian Economy

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Role of Livestock inIndian Economy

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CONTENTS

1. Livestock resources2. Contribution of livestock to people3. Role of livestock in farmers’ economy4. Livestock population (2012 Livestock census)5. Production of livestock in India 2013-14

Livestock plays an important role in Indian economy. About 20.5 millionpeople depend upon livestock for their livelihood. Livestock contributed16% to the income of small farm households as against an average of14% for all rural households. Livestock provides livelihood to two-third ofrural community. It also provides employment to about 8.8 % of the

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Livestock resources

population in India. India has vast livestock resources. Livestock sectorcontributes 4.11% GDP and 25.6% of total Agriculture GDP.

India is

World’s highest livestock owner at about 512.05 millionFirst in the total buffalo population in the world - 105.3 millionbuffaloesSecond in the population of cattle and goats - 140.5 milliongoatsSecond largest poultry market in the world - production of 63billion eggs and 649 million poultry meat.

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Contribution of livestock to people

Third in the population of sheep (72 millions)Fifth in in the population of ducks and chickenTenth in camel population in the world.

The livestock provides food and non-food items to the people.

1. Food: The livestock provides food items such as Milk, Meat andEggs for human consumption. India is number one milkproducer in the world. It is producing about 156 million tones ofmilk in a year (2015-16). Similarly it is producing about 74.75billions of eggs, 8.89 million tonnes of meat in a year. Thevalue of milk group and meat group at current prices was Rs4,06,035 crores in 2013-14.

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2. Fibre and skins: The livestock also contributes to theproduction of wool, hair, hides, and pelts. Leather is the mostimportant product which has a very high export potential. Indiais producing about 47.9 million Kg of wool per annum.

3. Draft: Bullocks are the back bone of Indian agriculture. Despitelot of advancements in the use of mechanical power in Indianagricultural operations, the Indian farmer especially in ruralareas still depend upon bullocks for various agriculturaloperations. The bullocks are saving a lot on fuel which is anecessary input for using mechanical power like tractors,combine harvesters etc. Pack animals like camels, horses,donkeys, ponies, mules etc are being extensively used totransport goods in different parts of the country in addition tobullocks. In situations like hilly terrains mules and ponies serve

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as the only alternative to transport goods. Similarly, the armyhas to depend upon these animals to transport various items inhigh areas of high altitude.

4. Dung and other animal waste materials: Dung and otheranimal wastes serve as very good farm yard manure and thevalue of it is worth several crores of rupees. In addition it is alsoused as fuel (bio gas, dung cakes), and for construction aspoor man’s cement (dung).

5. Storage: Livestock are considered as “moving banks” becauseof their potentiality to dispose off during emergencies. Theyserve as capital and in cases of landless agricultural labourersmany time it is the only capital resource they possess.Livestock serve as an asset and in case of emergencies theyserve as guarantee for availing loans from the local sources

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such as money lenders in the villages.6. Weed control: Livestock are also used as Biological control of

brush, plants and weeds.7. Cultural: Livestock offer security to the owners and also add to

their self esteem especially when they are owning prizedanimals such as pedigreed bulls, dogs and high yielding cows/buffaloes etc.

8. Sports / recreation: People also use the animals like cocks,rams, bulls etc for competition and sports. Despite ban onthese animal competitions the cock fights, ram fights and bullfights (jalli kattu) are quite common during festive seasons.

9. Companion animals: Dogs are known for their faithfulnessand are being used as companions since time immemorial.When the nuclear families are increasing in number and the

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Role of livestock in farmers’ economy

old parents are forced to lead solitary life the dogs, cats areproviding the needed company to the latter thus making themlead a comfortable life.

The livestock plays an important role in the economy of farmers. Thefarmers in India maintain mixed farming system i.e. a combination ofcrop and livestock where the output of one enterprise becomes theinput of another enterprise thereby realize the resource efficiency. Thelivestock serve the farmers in different ways.

1. Income: Livestock is a source of subsidiary income for manyfamilies in India especially the resource poor who maintain fewheads of animals. Cows and buffaloes if in milk will provide

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regular income to the livestock farmers through sale of milk.Animals like sheep and goat serve as sources of income duringemergencies to meet exigencies like marriages, treatment ofsick persons, children education, repair of houses etc. Theanimals also serve as moving banks and assets which provideeconomic security to the owners.

2. Employment: A large number of people in India being lessliterate and unskilled depend upon agriculture for theirlivelihoods. But agriculture being seasonal in nature couldprovide employment for a maximum of 180 days in a year. Theland less and less land people depend upon livestock forutilizing their labour during lean agricultural season.

3. Food: The livestock products such as milk, meat and eggs arean important source of animal protein to the members of the

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livestock owners.4. Social security: The animals offer social security to the owners

in terms of their status in the society. The families especiallythe landless which own animals are better placed than thosewho do not. Gifting of animals during marriages is a verycommon phenomenon in different parts of the country. Rearingof animals is a part of the Indian culture. Animals are used forvarious socio religious functions. Cows for house warmingceremonies; rams, bucks and chicken for sacrifice duringfestive seasons; Bulls and Cows are worshipped duringvarious religious functions. Many owners develop attachment totheir animals.

5. Draft : The bullocks are the back bone of Indian agriculture.The farmers especially the marginal and small depend upon

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Livestock population (2012 Livestockcensus)

Sl.No

Species Number

(in millions)

Ranking in theworld population

01 Cattle 190.9 Second

bullocks for ploughing, carting and transport of both inputs andoutputs.

6. Dung: In rural areas dung is used for several purposes whichinclude fuel (dung cakes), fertilizer (farm yard manure), andplastering material (poor man’s cement).

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02 Buffaloes 108.7 First

Total (including Mithun and

Yak)

300 First

03 Sheep 65.0 Third

04 Goats 135.2 Second

05 Pigs 10.3 -

06 Others 1.7 -

Total livestock 512.3

Total poultry 729.2 Seventh

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07 Duck -

Fifth08 Chicken -

09 Camel - Tenth

Production of livestock in India 2013-14Sl.No.

Product Quantity Ranking in the worldproduction

01 MILK in million tonnes 137.7 FIRST

02 EGGS in billions ( nos) 74.75 THIRD

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03 MEAT million tonnes 8.89 NA

04 WOOL in million kgs. 47.9 NA

05 FISH in lakh tonnes 95.79 SECOND

Source: Annual Report 2014-15, Department of Animal Husbandry,Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and FarmersWelfare, Govt. of India.

Page Rating (111 votes)

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Very nice information

Adhikari Sahu Jun 15, 2017 10:22 AM

Very very useful Thank you soon much

Dr.Pushapnath chougale Jun 08, 2017 11:14 AM

it is an abstractive form more useful in refresh our knowledge.

GANGUNAUDU SURLA Apr 02, 2017 12:37 PM

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Summed up nicely

Dr. Faizan javid Feb 01, 2017 09:02 PM

very usefull information

R.Ashok veterinary Jan 26, 2017 07:09 PM

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