Livestock products increased during rainy season: Government

A day after forecasting "record production" of foodgrain this year, the Union Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday said that production of livestock products -- milk, eggs and meat -- increased during the rainy season of 2016-17, though wool production slipped.

According to the Integrated Sample Survey, total milk production during the rainy season -- between July and October -- increased to 54.50 million tonne in 2016-17 from 52.21 million tonne in 2015-16, registering a growth of 4.38 per cent.

"As against the targeted milk production of 163.74 million tonne during 2016-17, the total estimated production in two seasons -- summer and rainy -- is 105.42 million tonne, showing an achievement of 64.38 per cent," said a ministry release.

The survey also found that the average milk yield per day has marginally improved for indigenous category of cows and buffaloes.

Similarly, the ministry said that total production of eggs increased to 29.09 billion during the rainy season in 2016-17 from 27.33 billion in 2015-16, showing a growth of 6.42 per cent.

"As against the targeted production of 87.05 billions of eggs during 2016-17, the total estimated production in two seasons (summer and rainy) is 55.11 billion, showing an achievement of 63.31 per cent," said the release.

The production of egg by commercial poultry farms is nearly 75.75 per cent while the remaining production is from household and backyard poultry.

Total production of meat has increased to 2.43 million tonne during the rainy season in 2016-17 from 2.24 million tonne in 2015-16, registering a growth of 8.74 per cent.

"As against the targeted production of 7.37 million tonne during 2016-17, the total estimated production in the two seasons (summer and rainy) is 4.67 million tonne, showing an achievement of 63.28 per cent," it read.

Nearly, 47.86 per cent of the meat production is contributed by poultry and 20.11 per cent is from buffaloes.

Production of wool has, however, gone down by 2.16 per cent as production has decreased to 5.91 million kg during the rainy season in 2015-16 to 5.78 million kg in 2016-17.

"As against the targeted production of 44.07 million kg during 2016-17, the total estimated production in two seasons, summer and rainy, is 20.66 million kg showing an achievement of 46.89 per cent," the release added.

--IANS

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