Dr.Miftahul Islam Barbaruah

The Sector at a glance:

Livestock is an integral part of the mixed-farming system that characterizes agriculture in Assam. Besides contributing to food and crop production, livestock and poultry are as important as savings. For many poor households, livestock is a daily source of earning and is insurance against adversity. Animal traction is still significant in the State because of the increasing miniaturization of landholdings and high fuel cost that limits the use of machinery. Tractor density per hectare of the cultivated area is 1/6 of the Indian average. Being a State with limited benefits of green revolution technologies and climatic uncertainties, livestock has the potential to contribute to farm diversification and intensification. Livestock products are integral parts of the local diet as more than 95 percent of the population is non-vegetarian.

Livestock production in Assam is characterized by rural smallholder production using indigenous cattle, buffalo, pigs, goats, and chicken. There are pockets of nomadic systems of rearing, mostly on the fringes of the forests. In recent years, more specialized and commercially intensive production areas have emerged where farmers are using improved livestock and commercial poultry strains. Livestock in the State is largely fed on crop residues, and food waste, while hi