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New Breeds Of Indigenous Livestock Species

News: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has completed the Ceremony for Distribution of Animal Breed Registration Certificates.

• To ensure the success of the agriculture and animal husbandry industries, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister emphasised the necessity of identifying the numerous indigenous livestock breeds present in India.
• Livestock husbandry has historically played a significant role in Indian agriculture, and it continues to be important now because it affects a significant portion of the population.
• India offers a diverse range of cattle breeds that have evolved to suit different climatic conditions.
• From 2014–15 to 2020–21 (at constant prices), the livestock industry rose at a CAGR of 7.9%, and from 2020–21, it contributed 30.1% of the total agricultural GVA, up from 24.3% in 2014–15.
• Livestock are not only economically advantageous and a reliable source of food and income for homes, but they also give rural families a job, act as insurance in the event of crop failures, and the quantity of livestock a farmer owns determines his or her social standing in the neighbourhood.
• The largest single agricultural product in India is milk. It directly employs 80 million dairy farmers and has a 5% contribution to the national economy.
• The ICAR recently registered 10 new cattle breeds. As of January 2023, there are now 212 indigenous breeds in existence.
• The ten new breeds of domesticated livestock include the Kathani cattle (Maharashtra), Sanchori cattle (Rajasthan), and Masilum cattle (Meghalaya); the Purnathadi buffalo (Maharashtra); the Sojat goat (Rajasthan), Karauli goat (Rajasthan), and Gujari goat (Rajasthan); the Banda pig (Jharkhand); the Manipuri Black pig (Meghalaya).