Role of Animal Husbandry in Indian Economy

Animal Husbandry and Dairying play an important role in development of India’s economy. Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries sectors play an important role in the national economy and in the socio-economic development of the country. These sectors also play a significant role in supplementing family incomes and generating gainful employment in the rural sector, particularly, among the landless laborers, small and marginal farmers and women, besides providing cheap nutritional food to millions of people.

• Livestock are the best insurance against the vagaries of nature like drought, famine and other natural calamities.
  

Contribution to the Economy & Agriculture Sector

As per Central Statistical Organization (CSO) estimates, the value of output from livestock and fisheries sectors together at current prices was about Rs. 2,82,779 crore during 2007-08 (Rs.2,40,601 crore for livestock sector and Rs.42,178 crore for fisheries),which is about 31.6 per cent of the value of output of Rs.8,94,420 crore from Agriculture & Allied Sectors. The contribution of these sectors to the total GDP during 2007-08 was 5.21%.

• The livestock and fisheries sector contributed over 4.07 per cent of the total GDP during 2008-09 and about 26.84 per cent value of output from total agriculture and allied activities.
  
• The Eleventh Five Year Plan envisages an overall growth of 6-7 per cent per annum for the sector.
  
• In 2008-09, this sector contributed 108.5 million tonnes of milk, 55.6 billion eggs, 42.7 million kg wool and 3.8 million tonnes of meat.
  
• The 17th Livestock Census (2003) has placed the total livestock population at 485 million and total of poultry birds at 489 million.
  

Employment Generation

Animal Husbandry sector provides large self-employment opportunities. According to the National Sample Survey Organization’s latest survey (NSS 61st round) 5.5% of the workforce in the country was engaged in Animal Husbandry sector in 2004-05. The total employment in Animal Husbandry and Fisheries is around 5.80%.

Contribution of Livestock Sector to the Food Basket

Livestock Sector not only provides essential proteins and nutritious human diet through milk, eggs, meat etc., but also plays an important role in utilization of non-edible agricultural by-products. Livestock also provides raw material byproducts such as hides, skin, blood, bone, fat etc during 2007-08.

The contribution of milk alone (Rs.1, 62,136 crore) was higher than paddy (Rs.95,038 crore), wheat (Rs.71,579 crore) and sugarcane (Rs.33,691 crore).

The value of output from meat group as per the estimates of Central Statistical Organization (CSO) at current prices in 2007-08 was Rs. 40,399 crore.

• Total export earnings from livestock, poultry and marine products was Rs. 16,277 crore during 2007-08 (Rs.8,656 crore from livestock & poultry and Rs. 7,621 crore from marine products