{"id":50633,"date":"2025-08-06T19:27:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=50633"},"modified":"2025-08-06T19:34:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T14:04:54","slug":"small-ruminants-economy-nutritional-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-08-2025\/small-ruminants-economy-nutritional-security","title":{"rendered":"Role of Small Ruminants in Economy and Nutritional Security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has made significant strides in the dairy sector, but the potential of small ruminants (goats, sheep) and poultry remains underutilised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dairy Sector of India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Leadership: <\/strong>India is the <strong>world\u2019s largest milk producer,<\/strong> contributing <strong>24.76% <\/strong>of global milk output.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Production Growth: <\/strong>Milk production rose from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to <strong>239.30 million tonnes <\/strong>in 2023-24.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Contribution: <\/strong>Dairy is India\u2019s single largest agricultural commodity, contributing<strong> 5% to GDP<\/strong> and employing over 8 crore farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Growth Performance:<\/strong> Livestock sector grew at a CAGR of 7.9% (2014-15 to 2020-21), outpacing the agriculture sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Growth Trends of Small Ruminants and Poultry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Goat Population: <\/strong>India has 148 million goats, accounting for 16% of the global goat population \u2013 the highest globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sheep Population:<\/strong> India <strong>ranks third<\/strong> in the world with 74.26 million sheep, comprising 4.03% of global population.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poultry: <\/strong>The population stands at 851.81 million, marking a 16.8% increase from the last census.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8eef9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"633\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Growth-Trends-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry-1024x633.png\" alt=\"Growth Trends of Small Ruminants and Poultry\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-50638\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8eef9; width:468px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Growth-Trends-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry-1024x633.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Growth-Trends-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Growth-Trends-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry-768x475.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Growth-Trends-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry.png 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Role of Small Ruminants and Poultry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Livelihood Support for Marginal Farmers:<\/strong> Goats, often termed the <strong>\u201cpoor man\u2019s cow\u201d,<\/strong> are vital for landless and marginal farmers, especially women, owing to their low input costs and easy maintenance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Buffer During Distress: <\/strong>These animals act as financial safety nets during droughts and crop failures, ensuring income continuity for vulnerable rural households.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Suitability to Harsh Climates:<\/strong> Small ruminants and poultry are well-adapted to <strong>arid, semi-arid, and rain-fed regions,<\/strong> making them ideal for areas where crop cultivation and dairy farming are not viable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Contribution:<\/strong> Small ruminants contribute <strong>\u20b931,449 crore<\/strong> annually to the Indian economy through milk, meat, and export, highlighting their growing economic relevance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e6e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"505\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Role-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry.png\" alt=\"Role of Small Ruminants and Poultry\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-50636\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e6e6; width:399px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Role-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry.png 505w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Role-of-Small-Ruminants-and-Poultry-300x289.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 505px) 100vw, 505px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Interventions Needed for Scale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Scientific feeding and nutrition: <\/strong>Balanced diets, silage and hay bailing units and mineral supplementation increase weight gain, reproductive performance, and milk yield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Breed selection and housing: <\/strong>Indigenous breeds adapted to local conditions and better housing reduce disease and mortality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health and disease management:<\/strong> Regular vaccination, deworming, ectoparasite control, and ethno-veterinary practices lower mortality and improve herd health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Value chain integration: <\/strong>Supporting direct market access and value-added products boosts profitability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community-based models:<\/strong> Cooperatives and women-centric models foster knowledge sharing, collective bargaining, and access to finance and technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainable practices:<\/strong> Silvipastoral systems, agroforestry systems, alternate eco-friendly feed (crop residues, shrubs, legumes) and climate-resilient models enhance productivity and sustainability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To unlock the full potential of small ruminants, India needs robust policy and extension support, simplified subsidy access, investment in infrastructure, and climate-resilient, sustainable practices.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forming a specialised agency\u2014modelled on the NDDB\u2014for goat and sheep could help replicate dairy\u2019s cooperative success, transforming these sectors into organised, high-impact value chains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/agriculture\/indias-livestock-future-is-not-just-about-big-hooves-but-also-about-small-hooves-and-beaks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context <\/strong><\/h2>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India has made significant strides in the dairy sector, but the potential of small ruminants (goats, sheep) and poultry remains underutilised.\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dairy Sector of India <\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Global Leadership: India is the world\u2019s largest milk producer, contributing 24.76% of global milk output.\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Production Growth: Milk production rose from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 239.30 million tonnes in 2023-24.\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-08-2025\/small-ruminants-economy-nutritional-security\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":50660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/small-ruminants-economy-nutritional-security.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50633"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50653,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50633\/revisions\/50653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}