LIVESTOCK
CENSUS: ECONOMY
NEWS: What
is the livestock census and why is it conducted?
WHAT’S
IN THE NEWS?
Some 87,000 enumerators will collect data for the 21st
livestock census between October 2024 and February 2025.
21st
Livestock Census
- Organized by: Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry, and Dairying
- Timing: Enumeration from October
2024 to February 2025
- Frequency: Conducted every 5 years
(since 1919); last conducted in 2019
- Scope: Nationwide count of
domesticated animals, poultry, and stray animals
- Information Collected: Species, breed, age, sex,
ownership
- Species Counted: 16 animal species, including
cattle, buffalo, mithun, yak, sheep, goat, pig, camel, horse, pony, mule,
donkey, dog, rabbit, and elephant
- Breed Information: Data on 219 indigenous
breeds recognized by ICAR-NBAGR
- Poultry Count: Includes fowl, chicken,
duck, turkey, geese, quail, ostrich, emu
- Objective: Supports rural employment,
contributes ~7% to Gross Value Added (GVA) and 30% to agricultural GVA
- Data Utility: Aids in policy formation,
tracks UN SDG progress (food security, genetic diversity)
- Digital Census: Fully digitized using
mobile apps and a digital dashboard
- New Data Points:
- Contribution of
pastoralists and their socio-economic status
- Proportion of households
primarily dependent on livestock for income
- 2019 Census Data: Total livestock population
was 78 million, with cattle (192.9 million), goats (148.88 million),
buffaloes (109.85 million), sheep (74.26 million), and pigs (9.06 million)
representing the largest groups
Source
1: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/livestock-census-21st-9640278/
Source
2: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/livestock-census-begins-in-kerala/article68797227.ece
Source
3: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2068177