Answer:

[The answer deals with every section of the livestock sector separately detailing each section’s challenges and suggestions making this answer quite long. This has been done to provide sufficient details with respect to livestock sector so that students can confidently tackle any section specific question in the examination]

The animal production system in India is predominantly part of a mixed crop-livestock farming system vital for the security and survival of large numbers of poor people. In such systems, livestock generate income; provide employment, draught power and manure. Also it is a major source of milk, meat, eggs, wool and hides. Thus, animal husbandry plays an important role in the rural economy.

India’s livestock sector is one of the largest in the world. In 2010-11 livestock generated outputs worth Rs 2075 billion (at 2004-05 prices) which comprised 4% of the GDP and 26% of the agricultural GDP. The total output worth was higher than the value of food grains. Therefore, though animal husbandry has got special attention through various schemes and programmes of the GOI to remove the bottlenecks hindering this sector much still needs to be done.

There are number of socio-economic, environmental, technological and other challenges that need to be overcome through appropriate policies, technologies and strategies in order to harness the pro-poor potential of animal husbandry. Various sub sector specific challenges along with their solutions are as follows:-