January 25, 2010

India needs to raise livestock production

India's Planning Commission has said the government needs to work towards increasing the rate of growth of livestock production, which has not been as favourable as expected.

The report of the advisory committee on animal husbandry and dairying submitted to the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia indicated that the growth of livestock sector during the Eighth Plan was 4.01%, which decelerated to 3.45% in the Ninth Plan and 3.91% in the Tenth Plan.

The contribution of milk sector to total output from livestock is about 68% and in some of the states it is as high as 80%.

There is a need to boost production as the rate of growth has not been as high as it should be, which is around 5%, Planning Commission member Dr Sen said, adding that in the next two years, growth needs to be accelerated.