The Dynamics of the Bovine Economy in Assam: A Critical Analysis

Livestock farming in the Northeast region is primarily confined to backyard rearing, with a significant portion of the population engaged in agricultural activities. Assam, a rural agriculture-based state, has a high cattle and poultry population, with a per capita availability of milk, meat, and egg being low compared to the national level. Animal husbandry contributed 5.08 per cent to the agriculture and allied sector in 2015-16, accounting for 0.95 per cent of the state’s total GDP. Dairying alone contributes 4 per cent to India’s GDP and 25 per cent to the agricultural GDP. Indigenous cattle remain the highest-population livestock species in the state, with the second most populous species being goats. Milk production in Assam is steady, with indigenous/non-descript cows being the highest, followed by exotic/crossbred, buffalo, and goats. However, the growth of buffaloes and exotic/crossbred cattle has changed due to negative growth and factors such as limited converge, poor breeder involvement, poor marketing, traditional practices, unorganized sector, inadequate marketing infrastructure, increased feed costs, shortage of green fodder, scarcity of labour, and changes in climatic and conception rates. Assam’s dairy sector is less commercialized than other dairying states, with only a small proportion of milk produced being marketed and consumed at the household level. Milk is mostly produced by smallholder dairy producers from rural areas, with a stagnant percentage of milk converted into Value Added Product.