Tag: THE ROLE OF LIVESTOCK IN ASSAM’S ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

The livestock sector is considered a lifeline of the agro-based economy, playing a pivotal role in ensuring rural stability and offering significant business and export potential. Highlights of the Livestock Sector in Assam Importance in Rural Development: Provides employment and income to landless, marginal, and small-scale farmers. Serves as an economic stabiliser, particularly during periods of uncertainty in crop production. Favorable Conditions for Growth: Assam’s agro-climatic conditions are ideal for livestock enterprises. Despite challenges like insufficient capital, limited infrastructure, and stagnant prices, the sector has growth potential. Contribution to the Economy: The growth rate of livestock relative to Assam's Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at constant prices (2011–12) is 82%, rising to 13.80% at current prices (Economic Survey, 2022–23). Annual growth of milk, eggs, and meat production is about 3%, yet remains below national averages and nutritional requirements. Key Statistics (2022-23) Meat: Production: 02 thousand tonnes Per capita availability: 4 grams/day against an RDA of 50–60 grams/day. To meet the RDA, production must increase 5 times. Milk: Production: 1,069 million litres Per capita availability: 83 ml/day against a recommended 300 ml/day. Assam government and NDDB sign MoU for holistic dairy development in state to set up with a target to process 10 lakh litres of milk through six new units in seven years. Eggs: Total: 5,590 lakh eggs (up from 5,421 lakh in 2021–22). Per capita availability: 16 eggs/year against a recommended 180 eggs/year (ICMR norms). Livestock Population in Assam Total Livestock Population: As per the 20th Livestock Census (2019), livestock stood at 1,80,40,283, with increases in: Pig Population: Highest in India, growing 28% compared to 2012. Poultry: 70 million, a 71% rise since 2012. Cattle: A moderate 5% Production Contribution: Indigenous breeds like Lakhimi Cattle produce 53% of total milk. Crossbred cattle contribute another 32%. Buffaloes and goats account for the remaining 15%. Challenges and Opportunities Challenges: Suboptimal productivity across milk, meat, and egg sectors. Dependency on imports to meet local demands, leading to economic outflow. Insufficient access to finance, infrastructure, and market support. Opportunities: The growing demand for protein-rich foods offers significant room for expanding production. Potential for livestock enterprises as commercial ventures. Adoption of farming system approaches to improve cost-benefit ratios and achieve sustainability. Way Forward Strengthening Institutional Frameworks: Establish programs to enhance profitability, productivity, and sustainability in livestock farming. Promoting Entrepreneurship: Support small and marginal farmers through targeted interventions to commercialise livestock farming. Reducing Import Dependence: Enhance local production of livestock products to save on exchequer expenses. Technological Innovations: Adopt modern methods in feed management, breeding, and disease control to boost production. Awareness and Education: Create campaigns to educate farmers on best practices, government schemes, and entrepreneurial opportunities. With focused interventions and stakeholder collaboration, Assam’s livestock sector can bridge the production-demand gap and contribute substantially to the state’s socio-economic development.

Tag: THE ROLE OF LIVESTOCK IN ASSAM’S ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

THE ROLE OF LIVESTOCK IN ASSAM’S ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

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