Government launches e-Pashuhaat portal to connect farmers and breeders of bovine animals

The Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare launched e-pashuhaat portal to connect farmers and breeders of bovine animals.
The portal will act as a single online e-trading market platform, including availability of bovine germplasm. It will enable the farmers to buy bovine animals, frozen semen and embryo.
Key Facts

• e-pashuhaat portal will connect farmers with breeders- State, Central, Co-operative, Milk Federations, and private agencies.
• It will provide information related to certification of the animal, breeding, its picture, volume of milk given by the cow etc.
• It will facilitate farmers to purchase advanced breed of bovine animals at a reasonable price as per as their requirements.
• It will provide, certified picture of animals, its parents information, breeding, volume of milk given by bovine animal information.
• Besides, it will provide information related to animal fodder varieties, its volume and price. It will have real time authentic certified information on availability of germplasm.

Significance

• Earlier there was no single authentic organised market for animals. Information like pet cattle, trading of bovine animals was not available in any other forum or platform in the country. This portal is likely to help fill in the vacuum.
• Since dairying activity is a major supplementary source of income for farmers. The portal will play important role in increasing income of framers from animal rearing for achieving the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
• It establishes links between ‘farmer to farmer’ and ‘farmer to institutes’. Thus, it minimises the involvement of middlemen.
• It will create a comparative Farm Network that will facilitate farmers to exchange local knowledge and resources.

India has the largest bovine population in the world. It accounts for 14% of world cattle population, while share for buffalo alone is 53% of which 79% of the cattle are indigenous and 21% are crossbred and exotic varieties. The Indigenous bovine breeds are sturdy and are endowed with quality of heat tolerance, resistance to diseases. They have ability to thrive under extreme climatic conditions and survive with low inputs. However, most of the indigenous are suited for draught animal power as they have low genetic potential for milk production.  Rashtriya Gokul Mission’ launched in December 2014 aims at addressing this issue.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2016