Why in News?

• The Ceremony for Distribution of Animal Breed Registration Certificates was recently organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was concluded

Highlights

• Animal husbandry has historically been an integral part of agriculture in India and is relevant today as a large section of society is actively engaged and dependent on it.
• India is rich in livestock biodiversity and has developed many specific breeds adapted to various climatic conditions. The livestock sector grew at a CAGR of 7.9% during 2014-15 to 2020- 21 (at constant prices), and its contribution to total agriculture GVA (at constant prices) has increased from 24.3% in 2014-15 to 30.1% in 2020-21.
• Besides their monetary benefit and providing a steady stream of food and revenues for households, livestock provide employment to the rural family, act as insurance during crop failures and the number of livestock owned by a farmer determines the social status among the community.Dairy is the single-largest agri commodity in India. It contributes 5% to the national economy and employs 80 million dairy farmers directly.
• Nearly half of the country’s livestock is still unclassified. Also, Indian livestock product markets are mostly underdeveloped, uncertain, lack transparency and often dominated by informal market intermediaries.
• ICAR’s mission to document all animal genetic resources in the country in collaboration with State Universities, Animal Husbandry Departments, NGOs, and others is a good step in this direction.Also, the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) has started notifying all registered breeds in the Gazette since 2019 to claim sovereignty over these indigenous breedsIn order to provide immediate primary treatment for injured animals, ambulance services should be expanded in veterinary hospitals.
• In addition, livestock primary vaccination should be made mandatory, and regular veterinary surveillance should be conducted in a time-bound manner.
• There is a need to recognize One Health Approach and understand the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment and encourage collaborations in research and sharing of knowledge at multiple levels across various disciplines like human health, animal health, plants, soil, environmental and ecosystem that can help in health sustainability and tackling zoonotic diseases as well.