12th - 5 Year Plan

For achieving growth rate of 5-6 percent per annum the animal husbandry sector would need to address important challenges  during the Twelfth Plan. These include delivery of services, shortage of feed and fodder and frequent occurrence of deadly diseases. Compared to its contribution in the economy livestock sector has received much less resources and institutional support. Livestock extension remains grossly neglected. The country still lacks adequate facilities and the infrastructure for  disease diagnosis, reporting, epidemiology, surveillance and forecasting.  Livestock  markets  are  underdeveloped, which  is  a  significant  barrier  to  commercialisation of  livestock  production.  Besides,  the  sector  is  also coming under significant pressure of increasing globalisation  of  agri-food  markets.  Although  there  is demand  for  Indian  meat  products  in  international markets,  lack  of  international  processing  standards is a hindrance. Unfortunately, schemes on modernisation of slaughterhouses and by-product utilisation have not been effectively implemented. In the animal husbandry  sector,  the  major  priority  areas  during Twelfth  Five  Year  Plan  will  be  breed  improvement, enhancing  availability  of  feed  and  fodder  and  provision  of  better  health  services,  including  proper breeding  management.  Conservation  and  perpetuation of diverse local germplasm, which are adaptable to Indian climate conditions and resistant to various endemic  diseases,  will  be  another  important  area, with clearer focus on sub-sectors such as small ruminants that have so far been neglected.