Country faces fodder crisis, milk prices could rise

livemint.com:

Mint. The development assumes significance because retail milk prices have shot up year-on-year, as fodder, a key feed ingredient for livestock, has become more expensive. On Sunday, the all-India average retail milk price stood at ₹57.52 a litre against ₹54.9 during the corresponding period last year. Fodder makes 70% of the cost of livestock management, with the remaining 30% going on breeding and healthcare, this person said.

The second scientist said the shortage of dry fodder is mainly because of the diversion of paddy straw to industry for ethanol production, shrinking grassland and an exponential rise in livestock population. India’s cattle population has gone up from 40 million at Independence to 527 million now, as per the 20th Livestock Census, released by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying in June. However, the area described a grassland has remained nearly the same as at Independence.

The growing mechanization of agriculture has also impacted the natural sources of dry fodder, such as the crop residue generated from husking of paddy, wheat, pulses, and oil meal cakes, the second person said, adding that 40% of crop residue is utilized for livestock feed. Currently, India is dealing with a fodder crisis with the daunting challenge of producing enough feed and fodder from an already shrinking land resource. As per the Land Use Statistics 2018-19, out of India’s landmass of 328.7 million hectares, 139.3 million hectares is the net sown area and 197.3 million hectares the gross cropped area.