‘Livestock sector important in women’s economic progress’

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Karnal, March 9

Stressing on the importance of the livestock sector and referring to it as a profitable field for the farming community, Dr Abhijit Mitra, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Government of India, shed light on the remarkable transformation of India’s livestock sector.

He said with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.36 per cent from 2014-15 to 2021-22, the livestock sector had emerged as a significant contributing factor to the agricultural gross value added (GVA).

Dr Mitra was delivering Dr KK Iya Memorial Oration, held at the ICAR — National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) as part of the celebration of the ongoing academic fortnight of the 20th convocation of NDRI Deemed University. He delivered a lecture on “Navigating sustainable livestock systems: Indian smallholders in a global context”. Meanwhile, NDRI conferred the Dr KK Iya Memorial Oration Award on Dr Mitra.

Dr Mitra underscored the livestock sector’s importance in empowering rural communities, particularly those with small landholdings, and its crucial contribution to the national food security.

Highlighting the role of women in India’s livestock system, Dr Mitra emphasised on their economic and social empowerment, which aligned with the United Nations’

sustainable development goals (SDGs). India’s global prominence as the leading milk producer further accentuated the sector’s significance on the global stage.

He also highlighted the challenges faced by the livestock sector, including climate-change impacts, disease vulnerability and limited access to resources and markets. He said there was an urgent need for transitioning sustainable smallholder systems, rooted in tradition yet adaptive to modern challenges.

Dr Dheer Singh, Director and Vice-Chancellor of NDRI, said Dr Mitra was an alumnus of the institute and a renowned expert in the field of Animal Husbandry and Genetic Research. He had been the Director of two ICAR Institutes and fellow of many prestigious societies.

This award was being conferred on him for doing commendable work in animal genetics & breeding, molecular genetics, genomics, along with trans-genesis he added.