POLICY NOTE 2002-2003

 ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DEPARTMENT

 DEMAND NO. 6

1. 2.    LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY DEVELOPMENT
1. 2.1 LIVESTOCK POPULATION 

The State's total livestock population is 261.7 lakh nos. accounting to 5.56% of the country's livestock population of 4,708.6 lakhs.  According to the 16th livestock and poultry (1997) census (provisional) the category wise distribution of livestock and poultry and their percentage to the total livestock and poultry in the state are as follows:

A livestock policy in line with the National Livestock Policy and its guidelines is under implementation in Tamilnadu. The salient aspects of the Livestock Policy of Tamilnadu are: 

1. *      Providing veterinary health services at the farmer's doorsteps.
2. *      Intensify the Artificial Insemination Coverage.
3. *      Encouraging backyard poultry among women folks in rural areas.
4. *      Development of pastureland.
5. *      Privatisation and Commercialisation of Veterinary Services.
6. *      Modernising slaughterhouses to provide hygienic meat to public. 
1. 2.2 Feed and Fodder 
2. The feed given to cattle comprises of dry fodder, green fodder and concentrates of which dry fodder forms the single largest share. Livestock production is almost dependent on crop residues like straws, stalks, tops and crop byproducts like bran, husk, expeller cakes, cottonseeds, etc. At present only 15-20% of cattle population is fed with concentrates.  Green fodder is normally fed only to animals yielding milk.  The availability of green fodder in this State is extremely restricted to selected areas and seasons.  The estimated requirement of dry and green fodder per year for the bovine population in the state is 2,20,440 lakh MT and 6,61,340 lakh MT respectively assuming that an average bovine weighing 400 Kgs. requires 5 Kgs. of dry fodder and 15 Kgs. of green fodder per day.           

The area of permanent pastures and other grazing lands when compared to the total geographical area is very low and is decreasing year after year.  The total grazing land available in the state is 1.23 lakh hectares, which includes cultivable wasteland and permanent pastures. To avoid degradation and depletion of grazing land by using it indiscriminately for other purposes, the Government have ordered not to transfer the grazing land for other purposes unless suitable land of the same extent is developed as grazing land in the same district.           

About one third of the total feed intake by the ruminants is by way of grazing on permanent pastures, current and permanent fallows, waste lands, tank bunds, poromboke lands, on road sides and cultivated field margins where green herbage is available.  Grazing facilities last only 3 to 4 months after the Northeast monsoon.  During off-seasons, the animals graze in harvested fields.  Where reserve forest and reserve lands are available, the animals are permitted to graze by the authorities and villagers are permitted to harvest the forest hay. For increasing the fodder production, the department has taken up many schemes and established 7 fodder seed production units. To enable the landless families and poor farmers to take up animal husbandry activities, community feed and fodder banks will be established with the help of self help groups. 

1. 2.3 Breeding

Nondescript animals have a higher age at first calving, low lactation period, low milk yield, lengthy dry and intercalving periods, but they are highly disease resistant and heat tolerant.  The exotic breeds have early maturity, lengthy lactation period, high milk yield, short dry and intercalving periods but they are less disease resistant and heat tolerant.  To improve these economic traits and also to preserve the desirable traits like disease resistance and heat tolerance of indigenous animals in a short time at an affordable cost, cross breeding was thought to be the only alternative.  Native Breeds are preserved in their home tracts. Cattle comprise 36% of the total livestock.  The exotic and cross bred accounts for 23%, native pure breed for 18% and indigenous for 59% of the total cattle population. The ultimate aim of the department is to increase the number of productive animals viz. cross breds to a maximum number without affecting the native pure breds like Kangeyam and Umblachery. 

1. 2.4 Cross breeding of cattle

Cross breeding has many advantages like, 

1. *  Age at maturity for indigenous breeds is above 3½ years whereas in crossbreed, it is only 2 to 2½ years.
2. *  Signs of Oestrum are well noticed in cross bred than indigenous breeds.
3. *  Conception rate is higher in cross bred animals.  Therefore the number of calves produced per cow during its lifespan is more. 
4. *   Average milk yield per day, lactation length, lactation yield are all high for cross bred animals.
5. *   In cross bred animals the length of dry period is very minimum.   Therefore farmers can expect a calf once in 12 to 15 months. 

Moreover cross breeding helps to preserve the desirable traits like disease resistance, heat tolerance and adaptability to our environment. 

The policy followed for breeding of cattle and buffalo in our state is as follows: 

1. 1. Upgrading the progeny of the local nondescript breedable female cattle by using the semen of dairy breeds like Jersey and Friesian.
2. 1. Grading local buffaloes with Murrah bulls.
3. 1. Breeding crossbred cows with crossbred bull semen.
4. 1. Selective breeding of native pure breeds of cattle such as Kangeyam and Umblachery in their respective breeding tracts. 

With the above policy followed for breeding, the cross bred population has increased from 11.44 lakhs as per 1989 census to 21.53 lakhs as per 1997 census with an increase of 88%.  During the same period, the indigenous cattle has decreased from 69.51 lakhs to 55.45 lakhs the decrease being 20% while native pure breeds has increased from 12.57 lakhs to 16.65 lakhs with an increase of 32%.