Due to its peculiar Topography, economy of the people of Meghalaya depend more on the
sectors like Animal Husbandry, Horticulture etc. as compared to traditional Agriculture. To bring about a developmental change in livestock and dairy sector, number of programs and infrastructure development are undertaken where the activities are mainly centered round the following broad objectives: -
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Providing protection to livestock and poultry from the ravages of diseases through treatments and preventive vaccinations.
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Introducing improved breeding techniques for upgrading the local stock.
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Ensuring better Animal Husbandry practices through adoption of Extension and Research.
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Building up of adequate technical and professional man-power through Education and Training.
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Encouraging setting of Livestock and dairy Industries.
Feed and Fodder Facilities
The availability of quality feed and fodder in requisite quantities is highly addressed for the productivity of livestock. Lack of coarse grains production over the years and large shortage of green fodder and concentrates affects the productions. Certain initiatives are to be taken to attain required quantities of Cereals and oil meals for livestock and poultry sector. Non-conventional animal feed resources are to be exploited to obtain protein for livestock feeding.
More Fodder Demonstration Farm including Seed production farm has to be established to meet the requirement of Fodder and Fodder seed. The balance livestock and poultry feed to farmers through registered Livestock and Poultry Co-operative societies has to be distributed in subsidized rates. As per State Veterinary Department’s report, about 555 tonnes of mixed feed including 265 tonnes of feed ingredients is manufactured at Feed Mill Bhoi and Tura and supplied to the Livestock and Poultry farms. Application to increase availability of green fodder and grasses through increasing area under fodder crops, agro-forestry etc. by utilizing uncultivated, barren and fallow lands (grasses, pasture etc.) on priority and appropriate resources and technologies can be set forth. Quality of compound feed used for livestock and dairy is extremely important for enhancing production and productivity. Suitable machinery to enforce quality is put in place where private and cooperative sectors have a large presence. They are encouraged to evolve a system of self-monitoring. The livestock and dairy owners are needed to educate about the advantages of using quality feed.
Livestock Insurance and Credit
No livestock owner will adopt modern livestock production system and management practices unless he is protected against risk of incurring losses. Adequate insurance cover to guard high producing animals against risks need to be provided. The Government of India has initiated a pilot scheme on cattle insurance with subsidized premium rate for non-scheme animals belonging to people below the poverty line.
Credit is an important input to the livestock production process. The livestock sector’s ability to achieve its targeted growth in productivity and output is greatly influenced by the quality, availability and accessibility of credit together with forward and backward linkages. The credit policies are designed to be in consonance with economic policies.
Milk and Draught Animal Power (DAP)
A Milch herd of around 1 Lakhs cows and buffaloes with an effective genetic improvement program for milk are reasonable to meet the future milk needs. The current yield levels for crossbred and indigenous cows and buffaloes are 3245, 274 & 616 kg per year respectively can safely be increased to the targeted levels through increased availability of feeds, culling of low producers, strengthening of field programs of selection and progeny testing of bulls for milk and providing breeding and other input services at the farmers’ door. The progressive breeding and reproductive technologies is an integral part of breed improvement. The crossbreeding is restricted to low yielding indigenous cattle breeds.
A National Project on Cattle and Buffalo Breeding envisages to bring all breedable cattle and buffalo females under artificial insemination or natural service by high quality bulls, door step delivery of artificial insemination as well as conservation and improvement of indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds with the long term objectives, to create a national Milch herd of high yielding cows and buffaloes to improve productivity and cost efficiency in dairy production to increase income of individual farmers; to produce improved work animals of selected cattle breeds and, to conserve genetic diversity among Indian cattle breeds by identifying and multiplying germplasm.
Meat
About 80 - 85 % of the total human population in Meghalaya consumes meat. The availability of productive animals (cattle) is less and as such the demands of beef can not met by the people. The total numbers of animals slaughtered annually during the last four years was estimated at about 1.89 lakhs cattle, 1.81 lakhs pigs, and 1.26 lakhs goat. Out of which about 40% of cattle, 11.25% pig and 18.36% goats are imported from outside. The focus, as a result, is to increase more crossbred cattle, crossing indigenous pig, goat with exotic breeds to produce more meat and extra income from their animals.
Livestock and animal health
Many specific and parasitic diseases of animals are transmitted to human. The consumption of meat is very high. About 80 - 85 % of the people consume meat but unsanitary methods of traditional household cooking exposes the ignorant people at a greater risk of acquiring many zoonotic diseases especially parasitic diseases. Food poisoning is reported from many areas through consumption of undercooked animal products like milk, meat and eggs. The various awareness programs to educate the people to adopt scientific production practices and their hygienic use to control the diseases of importance, communicable to human are to be undertaken.