Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Sector
- The growing importance of allied sectors such as fisheries, livestock and dairy farming in Bihar is largely due to its role in supporting livelihoods. As labour-intensive sectors, they employ a large segment of population and help the poor rural households in earning supplementary income.
- Animal food is considered a great source of protein and is, therefore, in high demand in both national and international markets.
- Livestock and aquaculture together contributed about 7.10 percent of Gross Value Added in agriculture sector in Bihar during 2018-19.
- Livestock:
- It assists in supply of food and nutrition, enhancement of income and livelihood and diversification of agricultural activities.
- Between Livestock Census of 2012 and 2019, livestock population increased in Bihar from 32.9 million to 36.5 million, registering a growth of 10.67 percent.
- The milch animals constitutes about 63.18 percent of the total livestock population. The population of cattle was 153.11 lakh (42.00 percent) and it was higher than that of buffaloes at 77.20 lakh (21.18 percent) in 2019.
- The poultry population registered a growth of 18.31 percent, increasing from 139.68 lakh in 2003 to 165.25 lakh in 2019.
- The substantial increase in buffalo population in the state indicates their adaptability to changing climate and resilience to diseases.
- Next to cattle, the proportion of goats in total livestock population stood at 35.1 percent (128.21 lakhs). Goat is an extremely popular among small and marginal farmers and plays an important role in poverty-alleviation.
- The increasing demand for livestock products is on account of their nutritional value. This sector helps the small and marginal farmers by providing alternative source of income, especially in times of decrease in crop income, due to natural disasters.
- Livestock Services:
- To improve the productivity of livestock, it is crucial to provide access to good quality services to promote health and breeding of livestock animals.
- The State Government has laid special focus on delivery of veterinary and preventive care services by systematic implementation of vaccination drives.
- The major objectives of the State Government is to increase the production of livestock, improve the health of milch animals, and increased access to livestock-related services by marginalized communities.
- The Bihar Livestock Master Plan and the agriculture roadmap outlines the need to increase the quantity and quality of animal health services to minimize diseases.
- Vaccination in livestock increased at the rate of 107 percent from a mere 26.24 lakh in 2014- 15 to 555.66 lakh in 2018-19.
- Production of Livestock, Fishery and Dairy Products:
- The production of fishery in Bihar increased from 4.79 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 6.02 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, representing a compound annual growth of 6.22 percent.
- Similarly, the milk production in the state has steadily increased from 77.75 lakh tonnes in 2014- 15 to 98.18 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, indicating an annual growth rate of 5.92 percent.
- The fastest growth has been observed in egg production, registering a growth rate of 14.60 percent during the same period. About 176.33 crores of eggs are produced in Bihar presently.
- Bihar was conferred with the ‘Best State Award 2020’ on Friday under the India Poultry Awards 2020 category for achieving excellence in egg production with spectacular growth rate of 44.72% in the last three fiscals, four times the national average.
- Further, owing to the growing popularity, meat production has shown a steady increase from 2.94 lakh tonnes in 2014- 15 to 3.64 lakh tonne in 2018-19, recording an annual growth of 5.70 percent.
- The rapid development of fisheries, poultry and dairy products can largely be attributed to the leadership and guidance provided by the Department, the drive and enthusiasm of farmers, technological advancement, better management of animal health and introduction of new schemes and better implementation of these.
- Fisheries:
- Fisheries is one of the most promising sectors in Bihar as it provides livelihood security to many economically poor households.
- As a booming commercial activity, fisheries play an important role in increasing food and nutritional security, yielding foreign exchange, generating employment and enhancing incomes. Owing to their high protein content, the demand for fish is growing steadily.
- Also, fish farming in aquatic ecosystems complement crop and livestock farming activities, assisting in conservation of water and recharging groundwater table.
- Presently, Bihar is one of the leading inland fish producing states in India, and ranks fourth in Inland Fisheries in the country.
- The fisheries sector contributed to about 1.6 percent of the state’s Gross Value Addition, while it grew at the rate of 6.70 percent per annum during the period 2013-14 to 2018-19. The total fish production in Bihar increased from 4.79 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 6.02 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, registering an annual growth rate of 6.22 percent.
- While it has grown at the rate of 15 percent during 2017-18, the severe drought like conditions in the following year was responsible for lesser growth in 2018-19.
- The leading districts in terms of production of fish during 2018-19 are Madhubani (0.69 lakh tonnes), Darbhanga (0.55 lakh tonnes) and East Champaran (0.51 lakh tonnes).
- Dairy Sector:
- The performance of dairy co-operatives has been commendable in Bihar in recent years.
- The milk production in the state has increased from 65.17 lakh tonnes in 2011-12 to 98.18 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.
- The largest milk production in the state comes from cows, which accounted for 58.59 percent of the total milk production, followed by buffaloes (39.22 percent) and goats (2.19 percent).
- Poultry:
- Poultry farming has emerged as one of the most profitable occupations in Bihar due its high production, low initial cost, and low land requirement.
- The egg production in the state increased from 98.35 crores in 2014-15 to 176.33 crores in 2018-19, registering an annual growth of 14.60 percent.
Government initiatives:
- The Department of Animal and Fisheries Resources has brought out a Livestock Master Plan (LMP) for the years 2018-19 to 2022-23 to augment production and marketing of milk, meat, eggs, and fish to meet their growing demand.
- Out of the total 800 Livestock Development Centres sanctioned to deliver artificial insemination services at the doorstep of the farmers, 780 are operational.
- The mass deworming programme which had started in 2017-18 has now been institutionalised.
- For better conservation of indigenous breeds of cattle, Gokul Gram is being established at Dumraon in Buxar district.
- One of the largest frozen semen stations is being constructed with a production capacity of 50 lakh frozen semen straws per annum in Purnea, which would prove to be a boon to the farmers of the state.
- To improve high quality protein availability to children and pregnant/lactating women belonging to the under-privileged group, the Department of Animal Husbandry has tied up with the Directorate of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Department of Social Welfare, Bihar for supply of milk powder and eggs to Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
- For fishery sector, in order to meet the demand for improved varieties of seeds for fish species, the State Government is distributing seeds on a priority basis.
- Further, training programmes, subsidies for development and renovation of ponds, distribution of vehicles for fish marketing, construction of fish seed hatcheries and establishment of fish feed mills are being given high priority in Bihar.
- In the districts that are prone to drought and face the challenge of fluctuating fish production, the State Government is providing insurance coverage to members of fishermen cooperative societies.
- For Poultry:
- Under the Rural Backyard Poultry Scheme in 2014-15, the State Government has been emphasizing on poultry farming and linking with poultry business.
- Under the Integrated Poultry Development Scheme, grants for infrastructure construction of broiler poultry firms are being given to provide gainful employment opportunities for the youth and increase poultry meat production in the state.
- Since 2016-17, the State Government has been giving subsidy for the establishment of layer poultry farm of 5000 and 10,000 capacity which has acted as a catalyst for the growth of may layer farms in the state which has resulted in the phenomenal growth of this sector.
- For increasing the production of goat meat and to provide gainful employment for rural households, 3 goats per family are being distributed for Jeevika self-help group women through the grants given by the Department of Animal and Fisheries resources.
- The State Government is promoting the use of organic farming and providing field demonstrations for the balance use of chemical fertilizers.
