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.

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