Livestock population, pastures on the decline in state

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 22

The population of sheep and goat is on the decline in the state. As per the 20th livestock census of the Government of India, their number has gone down by 1 per cent against an overall increase of 14 per cent in the country.

Akshay Jasrotia, state adviser, Shepherd Association of Himachal, in a letter written to the Chief Secretary, said states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, had registered a significant growth in the goat and sheep population. Despite goat and sheep rearing being a traditional vocation of about 10 per cent population of Himachal, their number is declining.

“In Himachal, about 40 per cent of the livestock population is contributed by small ruminants, of which about 60 per cent is contributed by nomadic pastoralists. The government needs to pay special attention to save the traditional occupation of nomadic pastoralists,” Jasrotia said.

“The Shepherd Association of Himachal has maintained that in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a repartee sheep husbandry department. Shepherds have listed various problems that they face. Nomadic shepherds of Himachal are losing their traditional pastures to various government projects. Their forest rights should be protected. About 2 lakh-acre land in Himachal has been consumed by lantana,” the association maintained.

The association said during immigration, the fear of theft and loot of their livestock loomed. In the past few years, there have been livestock thefts in the plains.

“Sheep breeding farms of the state are not able to cater to the needs of the breeders. A sheep farm in the Sarol area of Chamba district was closed down to pave the way for a medical college. Modern sheep farms should be set up in the state,” association members said.

The state should come up with schemes for funding small units of sheep and goat to help marginalised farmers.

The association has also taken up the cause of sheep shearers of the Himachal Pradesh Wool Federation. “Only 15 wool shearers have been employed on a commission basis by the federation in over 15 years. Most of the wool shearers are trying to leave the exploitative job. Already, there is an acute shortage of trained wool shearers in the state. The government should regularise them,” the federation demanded.