Budget could have paid more attention to fodder

Budget could have paid more attention to fodder

Subject: Schemes

Section: Agriculture

Rashtriya Gokul Mission comprises of two components namely:

• The national program for bovine breeding and
• National mission for bovine productivity

Objectives:

• Development and conservation of indigenous breeds in a focused and scientific manner.
• Undertake breed improvement program for indigenous cattle breeds so as to improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock.
• Enhance milk production and productivity.
• Distribute disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service.

Significant initiatives under RashtriyaGokul Mission:

Awards for encouraging farmers/breeder societies to rear Indigenous breeds of bovines:

• Gopal Ratna awards: for farmers maintaining the best herd of Indigenous Breed and practicing best management practices.
• Kamdhenu awards: for best managed Indigenous herd by Institutions/Trusts/ NGOs/ Gaushalas or best-managed Breeders’ societies.
• Gokul Gram: The RashtriyaGokul Mission envisages the establishment of integrated cattle development centers, ‘Gokul Grams’ to develop indigenous breeds including up to 40% nondescript breeds (belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind) with objectives to:
• Promote indigenous cattle rearing and conservation in a scientific manner.
• Propagate high genetic merit bulls of indigenous breeds.
• Optimize modern Farm Management practices and promote Common Resource Management.
• Utilize animal waste in an economical way i.e. Cow Dung, Cow Urine
• National Kamdhenu Breeding Centre: (NKBC) is being established as a Centre of Excellence to develop and conserve Indigenous Breeds in a holistic and scientific manner.
• “E-PashuHaat”- NakulPrajnan Bazaar: An e-market portal connecting breeders and farmers, for quality- disease-free bovine germplasm.
• PashuSanjivni: An animal wellness program encompassing the provision of animal health cards (‘NakulSwasthyaPatra’) along with UID identification and uploading data on National DataBase.
• Advanced Reproductive Technology: Including Assisted Reproductive Technique- In-vitro Fertilization (IVF)/ Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer (MOET) and sex-sorted semen technique to improve the availability of disease-free female bovines.
• National Bovine Genomic Center for Indigenous Breeds (NBGC-IB) will be established for selection of breeding bulls of high genetic merit at a young age using highly precise gene-based technology.

Implementing Agency

• RashtriyaGokul Mission will be implemented through the “State Implementing Agency (SIA viz Livestock Development Boards).
• State GausevaAyogs will be given the mandate to sponsor proposals to the SIA’s (LDB’s) and monitor implementation of the sponsored proposal.
• All Agencies having a role in indigenous cattle development will be the “Participating Agencies” like ICAR, Universities, Colleges, NGO’s, Cooperative Societies and Gaushalas.

Why conservation of Indigenous breeds is the need of the hour?

• Indigenous bovines are robust and resilient and are particularly suited to the climate and environment of their respective breeding tracts and productivity of indigenous breeds is less likely to be impacted by the adversities of climate change.
• The milk of indigenous animals is high in fat and SNF content (The substances in milk other than butterfat and water in the form of casein, lactose, vitamins, and minerals which contribute significantly to the nutritive value of milk)

Revised version of Rashtriya Gokul Mission –

• The revised version of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and National Livestock Mission (NLM) proposes to bring focus on entrepreneurship development and breed improvement in cattle, buffalo, poultry, sheep, goat, and piggery by providing incentives to individual entrepreneurs, farmer producer organisations, farmer cooperatives, joint liability groups, self-help groups, Section 8 companies for entrepreneurship development and State governments for breed improvement infrastructure.
• The breed multiplication farm component of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission is going to provide for capital subsidy up to ₹200 lakh for setting up breeding farm with at least 200 milch cows/ buffalo using latest breeding technology.
• The entrepreneur will be responsible for the arrangement of and would be able to sell at least 116 elite female calves every year out of this farm from the third year.
• The entrepreneur will also start generating income out of the sale of 15 kg of milk per animal per day for around 180 animals from the first year.
• This breeding farm will break even from the first year of the project after induction of milk in animals.
• Moreover, the strategy of incentivising breed multiplication farm will result in the employment of 1 lakh farmers.
• The grassroots initiatives in this sphere will be further amplified by web applications like e-Gopala that provide real-time information to livestock farmers on the availability of disease-free germplasm in relevant centres, veterinary care, etc.
• National Livestock Mission (NLM) launched in financial year 2014-15 seeks to ensure quantitative and qualitative improvement in livestock production systems and capacity building of all stakeholders. The scheme is being implemented as a sub scheme of White Revolution – Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojana since April 2019.
• Objectives: Sustainable growth, Fulfilling Fodder need, synergy of ongoing plan, Promoting Skill Training, genetic upgradation and conservation, risk management and community participation.
• The National livestock Mission is organised into the following four sub-Missions:
  • Sub -Mission on Livestock Development– The sub-mission on Livestock Development includes activities to address the concerns for overall development of livestock species including poultry, other than cattle and buffalo, with a holistic approach. Risk Management component of the sub –mission will, however, also cover cattle and buffalo along with other major and minor livestock.
  • Sub – Mission on Pig Development in North-Eastern Region– The sub -mission will strive to forge synergies of research and development organizations through appropriate interventions, as may be required for holistic development of pigs in the North Eastern Region including genetic improvement, health cover and post-harvest operations.
  • Sub – Mission on Feed and Fodder Development– The Sub –Mission is designed to address the problems of scarcity of animal feed and fodder resources, to give a push to the livestock sector making it a competitive enterprise for India, and also to harness its export potential. The sub- mission will especially focus on increasing both production and productivity of fodder and feed through adoption of improved and appropriate technologies best suited to specific agro –climatic region in both arable and non –arable areas.
  • Sub -Mission on Skill Development, Technology Transfer and Extension–  The sub – mission will provide a platform to develop, adopt or adapt the technologies including frontline field demonstrations in collaboration with farmers, researchers and extension workers, etc. wherever it is not possible to achieve this through existing arrangements.
• National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis is a 100% centrally funded programme, with a total outlay of Rs. 12,652 crore from 2019 to 2024. It aims to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 with vaccination and eventual eradication by 2030.

Revised Version of National Livestock Mission

• The poultry entrepreneurship programme of the NLM will provide for capital subsidy up to ₹25 lakh for setting up of a parent farm with a capacity to rear 1,000 chicks.
• Under this model, the hatchery is expected to produce at least 500 eggs daily, followed by the birth of chicks that are in turn reared for four weeks. Thereafter, the chicks can be supplied to local farmers for rearing.
• Under this model, the rural entrepreneur running the hatchery will be supplying chicks to the farmers.
• An entrepreneur will be able to break even within 18 months after launching the business. This is expected to provide employment to at least 14 lakh people.
• In the context of sheep and goat entrepreneurship, there is a provision of capital subsidy of 50% up to 50 lakh.
• An entrepreneur under this model shall set up a breeder farm, develop the whole chain will eventually sell the animals to the farmers or in the open market. Each entrepreneur can avail assistance for a breeder farm with 500 does/ewe and 25 buck/ram animals with high genetic merit from the Central/State government university farms.
• This model is projected to generate a net profit of more than ₹33 lakh for the entrepreneur per year.
• For piggery, the NLM will provide 50% capital subsidy of up to ₹30 lakh.
  • Each entrepreneur will be aided with establishment of breeder farms with 100 sows and 10 boars, expected to produce 2,400 piglets in a year.
  • A new batch of piglets will be ready for sale every six months. This model is expected to generate a profit of ₹1.37 crore after 16 months and 1.5 lakh jobs.
• The revised scheme of NLM coupled with the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund has the potential to dramatically enhance the productivity and traceability standards of our livestock.