Running Roughshod Over Livelihoods

Developments following the “cow protection” efforts of the government and other social organisations have not only crippled an already beleaguered livestock sector but also resulted in the proliferation of stray cattle, raising serious economic and ecological concerns.

- Sudhir Panwar

THAT LIVESTOCK HAS BEEN ONE OF THE mainstays of rural economy the world over since prehistoric times is a widely accepted fact. In India, 20 million people are dependent on livestock for their livelihood. It is a reliable source of income for households in rural areas and contributes a substantial portion of the income of all rural households. The importance of livestock as livelihood is even more significant for small farm households, as their incomes from land are lower due to the small size of the landholdings. Consequently, it also contributes significantly to national income. In 2012-13, the livestock sector contributed 4.11 per cent of the total national gross domestic product and 25.6 per cent of the total agriculture GDP.

In India, unlike other countries, cattle rearing is mainly for milk production. Fragmentation of agricultural land and an increase in the demand for milk on account of rapid urbanisation made the dairy business popular among the unskilled and semi-skilled workforce in rural areas. Farmers as well as landless labourers found the business profitable. In 2013, the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh started the Kamdhenu Yojana, which involved providing interest-free loans to milk producers. The scheme proved to be immensely popular, and Uttar Pradesh became the top producer of milk in the country.