Animal husbandry in Punjab

• Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture where animals are reared, bred, and raised for meat, fiber, eggs, milk, and other food products. Animal Husbandry activities have attained importance as they create Self Employment Opportunities as well as Subsidiary Occupation to the weaker section of the society.
• It refers to livestock raising and selective breeding. It is the management and care of animals in which the genetic qualities and behavior of animals are further developed for profit. Livestock plays an important role in the Rural Economy of the State. The livestock sector holds significant promise to overall economic prosperity in Punjab given the constraints faced in other Agri sub-sectors.

Livestock

• Livestock rearing is a promising sub-sector under agriculture and allied activities. The sector is the second largest contributor to agricultural GVA (Gross Value Added) with an expected share of over 38.57% in 2023-24. The low dependence of the sub-sector on natural factors like rainfall, soil type, and climatic conditions make it a more sustainable source of income generation. This sub-sector is also a significant alternative source of income and full/part-time employment for rural households of Punjab.
• Punjab has a 1.3% share of India’s total livestock as per the Livestock Census 2019. Buffaloes form the largest share of the livestock population with a share of over 57.4%, followed by cross-bred cattle and indigenous cattle. Punjab accounts for 2.1% of the total poultry in India.
• Punjab reported the second highest average monthly income of Rs. 5,303 from farming of animals, surpassed only by Haryana (Rs. 6,089). Milk production was the highest source of income generation which contributed 91.6% to the total average monthly receipt from farming of animals. Also, the facts show that Punjab has the highest per capita availability of milk in the state (1271 gram), i.e is approximately 3 times the national average (444 gms) and of eggs is (200 eggs), i.e is approximately 2 times the national average.
• The Punjab government has been trying to develop Punjab as the ‘Dairy State of India’ particularly by increasing cattle production in the State. The various steps took to achieve this goal are:
  • State Animal Husbandry Department performed 18.70 lakh artificial inseminations in the State during 2022-23 for improving Genetic Potential of Cow and Buffalo.
  • Punjab has an extensive veterinary infrastructure for animal health care. On average, every Veterinary Institute provides Animal Healthcare and breed improvement facilities to 2470 livestock units, 2.5 villages and around 4.2 km radius, which is the best in the country.
  • The state has Northern Region Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NRDDL) at Jalandhar which provides Disease Diagnostic services to 8 neighboring states/ UTs. Funds have been allocated for its upgradation and modernization.
  • Punjab has Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Ludhiana, which provides research and Animal Health care services in the State. University’s Laboratory has also been authorized as the primary testing laboratory by Government of India for African Swine Fever (ASF).
  • The state has Punjab Veterinary Vaccine Institute at Ludhiana, which produces around

12 Vaccines/Antigens. It is now being upgraded to good manufacturing practice (GMP)

norms as per WHO guidelines with funds under the RKVY scheme.

• A Multi-Speciality Veterinary Hospital and Regional Research Centre is being set up at

Sappan Wali (Fazilka). The project is to be completed by 2026-27.

•  A Regional Research and Training center for Buffaloes is being established in the village of Booh, Tarn Taran with a view to improving the buffalo breeds through genetic improvement and to establish an elite herd of Buffalo.
• Under Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), 2 Progeny Testing & 1 Pedigree Selection project is ongoing. Its purpose is to procure high genetic merit bulls of different breeds/species for regular supply to the semen banks.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry of Punjab has a center of excellence on cattle development at Rauni, Patiala, and a buffalo breeding farm in Mattewara, Ludhiana.
  • These farms act as bull mother farms for providing Elite bulls to two ISO Certified Semen banks located at Nabha and Ropar.

• The department also has 3 goat breeding farms situated at Kullemajra (Patiala), Kotkapura (Faridkot), Mattewara (Ludhiana).
• Two sheep breeding farms are also catering to the needs of sheep farmers by providing them to sheep breeders for breed improvement.

Fisheries

• Contribution of Fisheries in Agricultural GVA is 7.25% (2022-23).
  • India is second largest fish producing country in world and accounted for 7.56% of global production

• Due to its landlocked geography, fisheries do not form an important sub-sector in Punjab. As expected, Punjab is outperformed by several coastal states like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, etc. Hence the small contribution of the fisheries sector to overall agriculture and allied activities GSVA (1.37% in 2023-24) is not a surprise. However, considering fish production versus available resources, Punjab does well.
• The government of Punjab has been introducing a variety of measures to increase fish production in the state, Special efforts are being made to bring saline affected water-logged areas of southwestern districts of Shri Muktsar Sahib, Ferozepur, Mansa, Fazilka, Bathinda and Faridkot under fish culture. Some of the other initiatives are:
  • Promotion of shrimp farming: Special efforts are being made to bring saline affected water logged wasteland of south western districts of Punjab under fish culture. Shrimp is a meat commodity which has a very high export value. It is helping farmers to earn income of 3-4 lac per acre from land practically unfit for agriculture. A one day State level seminar on shrimp was organized on 17 February 2023 at Demonstration Farm-cum-Traning Center, village Ena Khera, Block Malout, District Sri Muktsar Sahib, in which more than 400 shrimp farmers as well as shrimp farming aspirants participated.

To increase the availability of quality fish seed in the state, a new Government Fish Seed is being constructed at Village KillianWali, district Fazilka.

• Promotion of Fish Farming
• A retail fish market is being built in district Patiala.
• The fisheries sector in Punjab is now inviting entrepreneurs for the Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) and Bio-floc culture system. During the year 2021-22, many such units have been established in Punjab.
  • RAS is an innovative high fish production technology in which high density fish production can be achieved by rearing fish in indoor tanks within a controlled environment and reused water.
  • The Bio-floc culture system is another innovative technology in which microbes added within the tank/pond convert fish excreta into fish feed
  • To promote the concept of providing quality feed to fish at nominal rates, establishment of Fish Feed Mills in the private sector is being promoted under PMMSY. During the year 2021-22, the first such Mill was established in district Jalandhar.
  • Loans were provided to the fish farmers as a bank loan, in an effort to promote self-employment in the sector.
  • For sustainability of fisheries resources, a river ranching program has been initiated in Punjab. Under this program, during the year 2022-23, 3.00 lac fish seed has been stocked in the river bodies.

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