Research Article

Performance of LivestockSector A Macro Study of Meghalaya

S.M. Ferozel Ram Singh2 and Shiv Raj Singh Rathore3 College of Post Graduate Studies, Central Agricultural University, Umiam, Meghalaya. The uthole NEH reglon ls knoutn qs meqt consuming zone of Ind.ia as, unlike other parts of India, no social taboo is qttq'ched to ang tgpe of rneat but the most preferred. meqt is portc aia Aeej. Consumptlon of /rrtlk o'nd nilk prod.ucts fs lower in the state in co,zrparison to Northern states of Ind,ta due to food ho,blts and less avallabilitg of mllk. But due to increq.se ln per caplta lncorne and changes ln ltfe stgle d.emand. for nilk and mllk products is also grout[ng. Hince, this paper is an attempt to stud,g the stoltus and perfortnance of the llvestock sector tn the reglon. Meghalaga Is home for 7557 thouso;nd llvestock, 2827 thouso;nd. pouttry bird. Other than o/o)' cattle (49 Prg P7%) a'nd goat (27%o) are the najor qnirnals reared. in Meghalaga. Total llaestock populatlon of Meghataga has increased by nine per cent in betuteen I99Z and. ZOO\. Maxtmum tttcrease ln population base can be obsented. in pig (19%") and. goat FZn. Toto.l mflk productlon of Meghalaga Is 76.5 thousand tonnes in 2OO7-O8 and, per .opito milk aaallabllttg is 83 g/dag durlng 2oo7-O8. Milk price retnained. comgtaratiuelg high in tie state q.nd. retail milk prlces in Shlllong mqrket oaer the yeqrs show price aaried from Rs.2B to Rs.3f per lltre ln the rnonth of August ln betuteen 2OOO and 2OO9 Meghalaga ranked third. tn egg prid.uctton with a production leuel of 988.6a lakh numbers of eggs q.mong the north eastiin states. The meat productlon has also gone up bg 35 per cent tn Meghalaga in betuteen 2oO4-Os and 2OOZ-OS. Hence, lt ls concluded that the llaestock sector ho's the potential to ptag an lmportant role not onlg ln the issues of food securltg and nutrttlona'l. securitg tn the reglon-but also utll be hetpful in lncome and emplogment generatlon to the ntral poor if proper pollcy ihftlattves qre taken. Keguord.s: Ltaestock, Meghala.ga, Economics, perforrnance

INTRODUCTION eghalaya is one of the seven sister states of the North-Eastern Region (NER) of India with total geographic area of 22,429 sq.km. which is 8.55 per cent of the NER's geographic area. The total population of the state is 2.31 million in 20Olwhich is 5.95 per cent of NER's population out of which rural population is 80.4 per cent. The population density of the state is lO3 persons per sq.km. The state is a predominately tribal state as 85.94 per cent of the population is tribal population in the state. l![ -'Agriculture plays an important role in Meghalaya's economy and employs more than 65 percent of the total workforce of the State. It contributed nearly 307o to the state's NSDp in i999-00. Agriculture not only supplies raw materials for industries outside the state such
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as cotton, jute, ginger etc. but also provides inputs to other few small agro-based industries in the state such as turmeric, paddy, majze etc. Agriculture is mainly of subsistence nature and organic by default and Jhoom cultivation is widely prevalent in the state. Livestock is an important component of mixed farming system due to preference of meat in their daily diets. The whole NER is known as meat consumin g zone of India as, unlike other parts of India, no, social taboo is attached to any type of meat but the most preferred meat is pork and beef. Consumption of milk and milk products is lower in the state in comparison to Northern states of India due to food habit and less availability of milk but due to increase in per capita income and changes in life style demand for milk and milk products

Assislant Professor (Economics), School of Social Sciences, College of Post Grad.uate Studies, CAU, Umiam-793103, Meghalaga Associote Professor (Form Management), Schoot of Social Sciences, College of post Grad.uate Studies, CAU, Umiam7 9 3 1 0 3, M e ghalag a. Eriail-ramsingh. eau@g mail. com. Mo No -0 9 4 0 2 I g Z 62 4

3 PhD Research Scholar (Dairg Economics), National Dairg Research Institute, Karnal, Haruana-j32OOL 201 1-OO9 Receiued:Decernber 2010; Accepted:February 201 1

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