 "Cattle trade ban, Cattle, Cows")
The dung of Indian bovines has become more valuable than the food they consume. The latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) for 2020-21 (FY21) shows that the real gross value output (GVO) of livestock dung is more than the total value of fodder the livestock consumes.
According to a report titled Value of Output from Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing, the real GVO of dung increased 7.95 per cent in compound annual growth rate (CAGR) terms to Rs 35,190.8 crore in FY21, from Rs 32,598.91 crore in 2011-12 (FY12).
By comparison, the real GVO of fodder declined 1.5 per cent (CAGR) in the corresponding 10-year period to Rs 31,980.65 crore in FY21, from Rs 32,494.46 crore in FY12, as it experienced growth in merely two instances — between 2014-15 through 2015-16 and 2016-17 (FY17) through 2017-18 (FY18).
Except for a slight decline between FY17 and FY18, the output value of livestock dung experienced consistent growth in 10 years.
According to experts, the value of dung is expected to rise further due to various procurement initiatives of both the central and state governments, along with its promotion as a source of energy.
Mahendra Dev, director at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, says the valuation of dung has gone up due to its use for biogas and bio-fertilisers in recent years.
“Earlier, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission had launched an initiative called Khadi Prakritik paint, made of cow dung as the main ingredient. Similarly, the Chhattisgarh government launched (Godhan Nyay Yojana) scheme under which dung was sourced from farmers,” he added.
The fall in the output value of fodder comes as a surprise as in many states, farmers struggled to feed their cattle after fodder prices increased last fiscal year.
R S Sodhi, president, Indian Dairy Association, says that the increase in fodder prices last year was due to its price remaining depressed for the last few years, which on the one hand lowered the output value, and on the other hand they increased abnormally in the following years.
“Fodder production as such has gone up but not in proportion to milk production growth, which led to a shift to grain-based concentrated feed. And that is a matter of worry. If we want to grow our milk production rapidly, we need more fodder. So the government has to invest more resources in fodder production than minimum support price or other subsidies on grains,” he added.
The NSO assigns economic value to the total dung output in the economy based on the integrated sample survey of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. For states that don’t have estimates, the NSO has taken the rates of adjoining states, along with the annual estimated animal population, to arrive at dung production estimates.
According to the 20th Livestock Census (2019), the total bovine population (cattle, buffalo, Drung ox, and yak) increased by 1.3 per cent to 303.8 million over the previous Census of 2012.
Among major states, growth in the value of dung was led by Tamil Nadu (64.6 per cent), followed by Jharkhand (38.01 per cent), Bihar (28.5 per cent), and West Bengal (19 per cent).
However, in value terms, Rajasthan continues to be at the top in dung production with a real GVO of Rs 10,126 crore in FY21, followed by Uttar Pradesh (Rs 4,145.19 crore) and Maharashtra (Rs 3,033 crore).
