Country facing fodder shortage, working to enhance availability: Govt

India has shortage of animal fodder and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has been supplementing the efforts made by state governments to enhance fodder availability, union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh informed Parliament on Wednesday.

To a query on whether the government was aware of the shortage of animal fodder faced by the farmers, Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, "Yes Sir. The country is deficit in fodder".

"The ICAR- Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI) Jhansi has estimated that there is a deficit of 11.24-32 per cent and 23 per cent for green and dry fodder, respectively, in the country," he added.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has been supplementing the efforts made by the state governments by implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme National Livestock Mission with a Sub Mission on Feed and Fodder Development since 2014-15, he highlighted.

The scheme was realigned in July 2021 with the objective to enhance fodder availability with the following components namely, (i) Assistance for Quality Fodder Seeds Production; (ii) Entrepreneurial Development Programme on fodder; (iii) Fodder production from Non forest wasteland/rangeland/grassland/non-arable land; (iv) Fodder Production from Forest land.

That apart, the Department of Agriculture is implementing the Central Sector Scheme 'Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)' through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) as an implementing agency to form and promote 100 FPOs, primarily fodder-centric FPOs.

Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI Jhansi- ICAR) has also prepared Fodder Resources Development Plan for 25 states to enhance fodder availability in the states based on their cropping pattern and livestock species.

Replying to a separate query, Singh said the milk production in the country has increased from 187.7 million tonnes in 2018-19 to 230.6 million tonnes in 2022-23.

The highest milk-producing states in the country are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, he said, adding that "these States together contribute 53.08 per cent of total milk production in the country".

Singh highlighted that India is ranked first in milk production contributing 25 per cent of global milk production.

"Milk production is growing at an annual growth rate of about 6 per cent over the past 9 years with per capita availability of 459 grams per day and is self-sufficient in meeting the domestic demand," the minister said.