Dynamics of Livestock Sector in Bihar: A Temporal Analysis

Bihar has predominantly an agrarian economy of Rs 180 billion which provides employment to about three-fourth of its working force and crop sector generates employment of more than 120 million labour days in a year. In Bihar, breed replacement rate has been slow mainly due to collapse of Public Artificial Insemination Centres. A private organization namely Patna Animal Development Limited came into existence in mid-eighties but operating mainly around Patna in the field of .A.I and animal health. COMPFED is also providing AI and animal health services to members of Dairy Co-operative societies. BAIF and J.K. Trust are also operating in Bihar but in limited area. Despite Public and private efforts in A.I. and animal health, about 50 percent of breedable bovine could come under the artificial insemination system and remaining 50 percent bovine is still served by natural breeding. Hence, there is a need to revive the public artificial insemination centres and promote private organization to establish A.I. and animal health centres in Bihar. Quacks still dominate in the field of animal health in Bihar and some of them are providing emergency services to dairy farmers. A crash programme may be started to train some of quacks in animal health to enable them to provide scientific treatment within a short period of time. Dairy co-operative is only successful organization in Bihar but covers less than 15 percent of villages during 24 years. The dairy co-operative system has lost its steam in Bihar. Moreover, it should not be allowed to monopolize the milk marketing system. During survey, several farmers showed concern about low prices paid by co-operative. Milk marketing needs more emphasis but private milk processing and marketing organizations are not getting institutional support in Bihar which could be done by promoting private entrepreneurs through institutional financing and government support. Price of milch animal is higher in Bihar than most of major states in India. It is only due to unavailability of good quality animals. All the animal breeding farms established to multiply good quality breeds under public sector have already been closed. There is no any private organization engaged in multiplication of good quality breed of animals in Bihar. Hence, arrangement should be made in public-private partnership to establish animal breeding farms for the purpose so that the good quality breed of livestock (including goats) are made available to farmers at reasonable price. Goatry is a practiced mainly on landless and sub-marginal households in Bihar. Hence, the promotion of goatry will help improving socio-economic status of weaker section of societies. Hence, the marketing arrangement for replacement of breed and training of farmers should be developed for promoting goatry in Bihar. At first phase, all the existing artificial insemination centres, animal breeding farms, hospitals and dispensaries and extension system should be revived and arrangement should be made to utilize properly the fund allocated to Bihar under centrally sponsored programmes including Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.