Need to support livestock, dairy in NE states: Pawar
Updated: Nov 30, 2013 01:47:49pm
Gangtok, Nov 30 (KNN) The Minister for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Sharad Pawar has strongly advocated supporting the animal husbandry sector in the north eastern region of the country as it would lead to better nutrition for residents of the region and also supplement household incomes of the rural poor.
“The animal husbandry sector has been among the few growth generators in rural areas and has contributed to more than 32 per cent of agricultural GDP in the country,” he said inaugurating the conference of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Ministers of North Eastern States at Gangtok yesterday.
The value of output from animal husbandry, he said, is higher than the value of output from wheat and sugarcane put together.
The Minister stated some impressive statistics: “With milk production peaking 132.43 million tonnes in 2012-13, India is the largest producer of the milk in the world today. With 8.6 million tonnes of fish production, India is the second largest producer of fish in the world.”
The country, according to him has the world’s largest livestock population accounting for about half the population for buffaloes and 1/6th of the goat population.
Further, about 70 million rural household own livestock of one kind or the other and 60 million among them own cattle or buffaloes and 2/3rd of them are small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers.
Emphasising the importance of promoting cooperative dairy sector in this region, Pawar said, the country has a large network of dairy cooperatives which has contributed to the success of quality milk production in the organised sector. In addition, about 15 million farmers have been organised under the ambit of 1.5 million village level dairy cooperative societies in the country.
He assured that the government would supplement efforts of state governments for quality inputs in these sectors through central government schemes in the 12th Plan - the National Programme of Bovine Breeding and Dairying (NPBBD) and Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme and the World Bank aided National Dairy Plan.
However, he expressed concern over the fact that, despite excellent efforts made, average productivity of dairy animals of NE regions is still the lowest in the country.
The issue, he said would be addressed in a more focused manner by NPBBD.
Sikkim’s Governor Shriniwas Patil and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling also addressed the conference. (KNN/ES)
“The animal husbandry sector has been among the few growth generators in rural areas and has contributed to more than 32 per cent of agricultural GDP in the country,” he said inaugurating the conference of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Ministers of North Eastern States at Gangtok yesterday.
The value of output from animal husbandry, he said, is higher than the value of output from wheat and sugarcane put together.
The Minister stated some impressive statistics: “With milk production peaking 132.43 million tonnes in 2012-13, India is the largest producer of the milk in the world today. With 8.6 million tonnes of fish production, India is the second largest producer of fish in the world.”
The country, according to him has the world’s largest livestock population accounting for about half the population for buffaloes and 1/6th of the goat population.
Further, about 70 million rural household own livestock of one kind or the other and 60 million among them own cattle or buffaloes and 2/3rd of them are small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers.
Emphasising the importance of promoting cooperative dairy sector in this region, Pawar said, the country has a large network of dairy cooperatives which has contributed to the success of quality milk production in the organised sector. In addition, about 15 million farmers have been organised under the ambit of 1.5 million village level dairy cooperative societies in the country.
He assured that the government would supplement efforts of state governments for quality inputs in these sectors through central government schemes in the 12th Plan - the National Programme of Bovine Breeding and Dairying (NPBBD) and Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme and the World Bank aided National Dairy Plan.
However, he expressed concern over the fact that, despite excellent efforts made, average productivity of dairy animals of NE regions is still the lowest in the country.
The issue, he said would be addressed in a more focused manner by NPBBD.
Sikkim’s Governor Shriniwas Patil and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling also addressed the conference. (KNN/ES)
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