Livestock Economics, Marketing and Business Management

INTRODUCTION

• Indian livestock sector plays a critical role in welfare of rural population.
• It contributes 5.4 per cent to the total GDP and 27 per cent to the GDP from agriculture and allied activities engaging 30 million small producers raising one or two cow or buffaloe.
• It is of special importance and a main source of family income in the arid and semi-arid regions of the country.
• In the arid and semi-arid regions, the contribution of livestock to agricultural GDP is as high as 70 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.
• The sector has excellent forward and backward linkages, which promote many industries and increase the incomes of vulnerable groups such as agricultural labourers and small and marginal farmers.
• In 2005-06, livestock sector produced 97.1 million tonnes of milk, 46.2 billion eggs, 44.9 million kg of wool and around 2.31 million tonnes of meat from organized sector.
• All India Summary Reports of the 17th Livestock Census released in July 2006 points out that India possesses the largest livestock populations in the world after Brazil.
• It accounts for about 56 per cent of the world’s buffalo population and 14 per cent of the cattle population.
• It ranks first in respect of buffalo and second in respect of cattle population, second in goat population and third in respect of sheep in the world.