Animal husbandry in Meghalaya
Livestock including Poultry is an integral part of agriculture and contributes significantly to rural economy. While agriculture contributes about 30% of the total output of GDP, livestock including poultry constitutes about 25% of the total agricultural output. Rearing of livestock and poultry is an age old practice in the country with no exception to the State of Meghalaya. Livestock production has a much larger contribution to manpower employment than agriculture, while eggs, milk and meat production help in stepping up crop production through the availability of cash to the livestock farmer which is utilised for purchase of seed, manure and fertilizers for agricultural operation. Establishment of dairy, poultry, goat, pig farms help solve unemployment problems and provide valuable protein, vitamin and mineral rich materials like eggs, milk and meat. Organic manure from livestock and poultry enrich the soil for higher production of crop, vegetable and flower as well as horticultural produce.
In the State of Meghalaya, due to peculiar topography, varying climatic situation and socio-economic condition, the agriculture operation constitute to only about 10% of the total land under cultivation, thereby livestock and poultry provide the alternative avocation to the farmers for a subsidiary living.
Though the present output of livestock production in the State has been increasing at higher proportion to the growth of human population, the overall availability situation is not encouraging to the extent that as against the requirement of 220 gm of milk per person per day, only 75 gm is now available in the State. Similarly, availability of eggs per person per year is only 35 as against the requirement of 150. Therefore greater efforts are necessary to close the gap between demand and supply.
The department of Animal husbandry & Veterinary has taken up various measures to bring about a noticeable improvement in production, processing and marketing of livestock and livestock products. One such measure is to establish more farms with quality germplasm for making availability to farmers.
The activities of the Department were mainly centred round the broad objectives of :
- Providing Health coverage to the Livestock and poultry population from the ravages of diseases through treatment and preventive vaccination.
- Introducing improved breeding techniques for upgrading the Local Stock.
- Ensuring better Animal Husbandry practices through scientific adoption and approach of Extension and Research.
- Building up of adequate technical and professional man-power through Education and Training.
- Encouraging setting up of livestock and poultry industries.
Infrastructure of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department
Veterinary Hospital – 4
Veterinary Dispensaries – 113
Veterinary Aid Centres – 50
Mobile Veterinary Dispensaries – 15
Vigilance Unit – 7
Stockman Centres – 34
Key Village Centres – 15
Check Posts – 4
Disease Diagnostic Laboratories – 8
Cattle farm – 4
Buffalo Farm – 1
Poultry farm – 13
Pig farm – 13
During the last 40 years, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary has initiated various developmental programmes on different aspects of Livestock and Poultry sector for the interest of the State in general and the farmers in particular are as follows:
- Cattle & Buffalo Development
- Fodder Development
- Poultry Development
- Piggery Development
- Sheep, Goat & Rabbit Development
- Animal Health & Veterinary Services
- Veterinary Research
- Education and Training
- Dairy Development
- Subsidy Schemes
- CSS Schemes
Cattle and buffalo development
This is an integrated programme of cattle & buffalo development which includes breeding, feeding and management practices to boost up milk production as well as to develop a suitable marketing network for milk and other milk products. There are four Cattle Farm and one Buffalo Farm in the state of Meghalaya. The department is also having 2 Intensive Cattle Development Project (ICDP) Centre for production of quality semen by establishing Liquid Nitrogen Plant. One at Upper Shillong and one at Tura. Artificial Insemination programmes in cattle are carried out in the field through 40 Stockman Centres and Key Village Centres spread throughout the State. The Objective is to upgrade the local cows and to augment milk production in the State.
Piggery development
Since the demand of pork in the State of Meghalaya is very high, the Government have established 13 Pig Farms in the State with the ultimate aim to augment production of pork. Pigs from these farm are being distribute to the farmers for further multiplication and up gradation of local stock The Pig farms are (i)Regional Pig Breeding Farm, Kyrdemkulai, (ii) Pig Farm, Mawryngkneng (iii) Pig Farm, Pynursla, (iv) Pig Farm, Thadlaskein (v) Pig Farm, Mairang (vi) Pig Farm, Nongstoin (vii) Pig Farm, Gindo(Waram Songma) (viii) Pig Farm, Dalu (ix) Pig Farm, Rongjeng (x) Pig Farm, Baghmara (xi) Pig Farm Laitryngew (xii) Pig Farm Nongkasen and ((xiii) Pig Farm Nongpiur.
Dairy development
The objective of the scheme is to supply wholesome milk to the consumers whereby milk is being procured from producers and distributed to the public after pastuerisation. The procurement and distribution has been given to their respective Agency/Society. The Department has got 3 Dairy Plants at Shillong, Jowai and Tura, and 2 Milk Chilling Plants, one each at Nongstoin and Resubelpara.
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