Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

Intensive Cattle Development Project

INTENSIVE CATTLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (ICDP)

• When KVS did not yield the expected results the Government of India introduced another comprehensive project, Intensive Cattle Development Project (ICDP) almost on the similar lines of Intensive Agricultural District Programme in the year1963.
• The ICDP was started as a Special Development Programme during Third Five Year Plan. It was envisaged to locate the projects in the breeding tracts of indigenous breeds of cattle and buffaloes and in the milk sheds of large dairy projects. The establishment of ICDPs was linked with the dairy plants so as to enable the dairy plants to collect and process milk to their full capacities. Each ICDP was expected to cover one lakh breedable female bovine population and to provide necessary inputs and technical services.

Activities of ICDP

• The activities include conducting Bench mark survey, Controlled breeding, Veterinary aid and disease control, Feeds and fodders and Dairy extension.
• The ICDP was considered as the most determined effort to increase milk production and productivity of cows and buffaloes. However, the Programme Evaluation Organization (1970-71) in its evaluation report indicated that the ICDPs also did not succeed in accomplishing their objectives. The reasons identified were
• considerable time lag in providing organizational structure and various inputs
• set back in transferring ICDPs to state sector with financial cuts resulting in dilution of inputs and
• wastage of semen to the tune of 30 - 40 percent of the semen supplied to project area.
• In addition, a dairy extension officer post created in each and every ICDP to give fillip to the extension activities was not filled up in most of the ICDPs. Even in those places where they were posted were not involved in education of livestock owners and instead their activities were confined mostly to supply of inputs or other non-extension activities.
• At present the ICDPs in many states are merged with the Animal Husbandry programmes and no funds are allocated separately to ICDPs.