Vol. 9, Special Issue 5, Part A (2024)

Author(s): Keesam Manasa, Sidharth S, Md. Saifuddin and Tahir Hussain

Abstract: India is primarily an agricultural country and agriculture and livestock are intertwined with each other in Indian context. Livestock plays a significant role in Indian economy by providing employment to about 8.8 percentage of the population in India. Livestock sector contributes 4.11 percentage to GDP and 25.6 percentage of total Agriculture GDP. Unfortunately, livestock production system in India is primarily characterized by low input as well as low output. For the production and productivity of the livestock in order to be improved and maintained, proper feed should be given. Without addressing the fodder and feed resource development, it is not possible to sustain the animal husbandry in the country. India’s milk production during 2020-21 was recorded 209.96 million tons. Though India tops in the milk production globally, the average annual milk yield of cattle in India is 50% lower than the global average. Among various factors, livestock feed and fodder deficit is a critical factor contributing to the milk yields of the country. It is estimated that the most important constraint in the dairy industry is feed scarcity which accounts for nearly half of all losses in Indian dairy production. Although extension strategies do not directly help in augmenting the fodder supply in the country, helps in bringing the desirable changes in the behaviour of livestock farmers which will ultimately lead to overcoming the fodder deficit. Because of the widespread regional imbalances in the fodder availability in the country and the varying underlying reasons, it is not possible to apply one single strategy to all the regions. The strategies that can be adopted are purely location specific and can be customised based on the need. Different extension strategies which can help in addressing the fodder deficit in the country are discussed here.