Dairy-based Livelihoods
61
to realise the full productive potential of
their animals because they lack informa-
tion on feeding and management practices.
Extension services focused on women
involved in livestock rearing would enhance
milk production considerably.
Public extension services have played
a major role in technology transfer in the
Indian crop sector but in the livestock sector,
public service delivery has remained weak.
Consequently, only 5.1 per cent of the farm
households were able to access any infor-
mation on animal husbandry against 40.4
per cent for crop farming households.
7
The
base line study of NDP shows that in the last
one year (2012–13) only 0.84 per cent of the
milch animal rearing households participated
in any training and only 0.33 per cent par-
ticipated in demonstrations. Thoughwomen
spend more time in animal rearing, their
participation in trainings and demonstra-
tions was much lower than that of the men.
The veterinary and animal science
services are a highly specialised area and
need qualified and technical manpower.
Extension activities by the State Animal
Husbandry departments suffer from inad-
equate human
8
and also financial resources.
The extension services are mainly run by
veterinarians who operate from veterinary
dispensaries to treat animals. Shortage of
technical manpower for field services affects
the timeliness of services and increase cost
to the farmers.
Basic infrastructure and facilities for
animal health care are also found to be
inadequate. Working Group of the Planning
Commission notes that “there are a total of
8,732 veterinary hospitals/polyclinics and
18,830 veterinary dispensaries in the country
providing services for the large livestock
population. Not only is their number grossly
inadequate compared to the requirements,
these also have poor infrastructure in terms
of dilapidated buildings, lack of equipments,
etc. The polyclinics, wherever established,
lack the adequate infrastructure for surgi-
cal interventions and diagnostic imaging.
There is acute shortage of manpower to
manage these institutions and provide
required services”. During the Round Table
on smallholder dairy, the stakeholders
mentioned that diagnostic facilities at field
levels in terms of good clinical laboratories,
equipments, quick and quality diagnostics
and the human resources having expertise
in these areas are practically non-existent.
With improvements in the quality of
livestock through cross-breeding pro-
grammes, the susceptibility of these livestock
to various diseases including exotic diseases
has increased. GoI has been providing 100
per cent funding for control of certain dis-
eases such as the foot-and-mouth-disease
(FMD), Brucellosis etc. Foot and Mouth
Disease Control Programme (FMD-CP) is
being implemented in 313 specified districts
in 12 states and 6 union territories with 100
per cent central funding for cost of vaccine,
maintenance of cold chain and other logistic
support to undertake vaccination. However,
from the current year, the central govern-
ment has reduced funding to 50 per cent and
expects the states to bear the rest. This can
lead to inadequate vaccinations since some
states may not give importance in view of
the low budget provided for this.
Similarly, the National Control
Programme on Brucellosis (NCPB)
9
initi-
ated in 2010 envisages mass screening of
cattle and buffaloes to ascertain incidences
of disease and vaccination of all female
calves. Experts mention that even adult
animals should be vaccinated as against
7
Planning Commission.2011.http://planningcom-
mission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/agri/
AHD_REPORT_Final_rev.pdf
8
As per the Report of theWorking Group onAnimal
Husbandry and Dairying, 12th Five-Year Plan, only
34,500 veterinarians are employed for field services as
against the requirement of 67,000. Similarly, against the
requirement of 7,500 veterinary scientists for teaching
and research, only 3,050 are available. Availability of
para-vets and other supporting staff is only 52,000 as
against the requirement of 2,59,000.
9
It causes abortions and infertility in animals.
Prevention of abortions will add new calves to the
animal population, thus leading to enhanced milk
production.
