Investment Opportunities and Policy Reforms for Small Animals Economy

Attractive Business and Investment Opportunities in Small Animal Economy

By:

Vijay Sardana 

 Like any other sector of economy, small livestock like sheep, goat, pigs, etc. also need due attention in developing economy. These animals need less capital investment to start economic activity and provide regular income to the people engaged in this profession. These animals create multiple streams of revenue and offer very impressive multiplier for rural economy around the world.

These small animals can be integral part of any poverty alleviation program anywhere in the world and can deliver better and faster results than any other economic activity.

Important: I am sharing this based on my personal experience, in case you have any doubt or disagreement, please do you own assessment and send your findings to me.

Investment Opportunities in small animals are in the following areas:

• Genetic resources i.e. Breed
• Nutrition resources
• Health care
• Small Animals Transportation
• Human Resources Development
• Pasture Development
• Hygienic Handling & Processing Facility
• Product Development for Value-Addition
• By-product Utilization
• Trading Opportunities

Following are some of the possible investment opportunities for the development of Small Animal Economy in big way.

• Establish Stakeholders Sheep-Pig-Goat (SPG) Policy and Research Council – SPG Policy & Research Council with the partnership of stake holders and Industry should be established. Need based research on breed improvement should be the criteria. Commercial consideration should be given due attention to ensure sustainability of the projects in villages.

• Focus on Breed improvement programmes: This should be evaluated in line with poultry industry. These should be assigned due weightage both through central breeding farms and other private means. The central breeding farms should be revamped to make available quality genetic materials to other breed farms for multiplication and for distribution the farmers.

• Local breeds needs due attention for introduce uniqueness of that area while promoting and marketing. Selection of field stock for breeding purpose based on field recording should be simultaneously introduced to improve the well adapted local breeds. Conservation and development of indigenous breeds are suitable different regions to ensure biodiversity in the sheep and goat breeding programs and promote these breeds to suit the ground reality of the region.

• Nutrition Sourcing for Sheep and Goats: Nutrition of the Sheep and Goat plays an important role in the development of the Sheep and Goat sector. Declining number of grazing lands/pastures and their productivity is causing a threat to the growth of Sheep and Goat sector. Lack of quality feed and commercial feed production for Sheep, Goat and pig is also a big constraint in the development of this sector.

• Establish National Pasture Development program: every village has pasture lands and many nearby areas are not used for cultivation and considered barren.  These areas needs due attention. Need for national programme and efforts to address fodder deficiency for livestock sector mainly Sheep and Goat with focus of quality of feeding material for animal production – National Pasture Development program should be considered. Please note these pasture may have horticulture crops where fruits and fodder both can be produced. Example: Ber, khejdi, etc.

• Policy for sustainable management of Waste Lands by village level small animal cooperatives: These can be small animals’ producer company or small animal rearer cooperative, or by any name as long as they meet objective must be supported. Incentives should be linked to number of animals produced under integrated small ruminant programme should be evolved.

• Promote nutrition supplement for better growth and less health related issues: It is important to promote the nutrition supplements. Supplementary feed for Sheep, Goat and Pig must be encouraged for better growth and proper farm management practices.

• Promote Community Veterinary Clinics (CVC): This can be the first point for Public-Private Partnership in supply chain. Veterinary Health Care Services Required for Sheep, Goat, pig Sector Health Care Services is a critical component of Sheep and Goat sector. Sheep and Goat are prone to the various diseases in the early stages of their life. Due to these diseases farmers face a high mortality of their animals. Farmers are facing problems of lack of knowledge of the various animal diseases and less insurance programmes for the small ruminants.

• Animal Health care should be given due importance under PPP model. Public-private partnership in Extension services including preventive and curative animal health care services should be explored.

• Insurance programmes and health-care cover for small ruminants should be implemented at grass root level. Village cooperatives can have combined policy and premium can be linked to the number of animals in herd.

• Good Animal Husbandry Practices must be identified and promoted through public awareness campaigns by universities, NGOs and extension departments. This will ensure good practices from the beginning itself. This will also help in creating better markets for products from such farms or village clusters.

• Incentivize the Disease Free Zones for livestock sector: This must be promoted as part of national policy. Immunization must be a national policy.

• Vaccination Research programme for Sheep and Goat sector should be initiated to control Blue Tongue and Foot Rot diseases.

• Deworming of small animals should be initiated as national campaign inline with Polio vaccine in the country. This will improve the productivity per animal and will reduce the cost of production as well.

• State Governments must have policy in line with the OIE guidelines for disease free zones in order to seek center government assistance. These should not be any compromise on good practices. These incentives should be used to have MOUs with state government and NGOs.

• Small Animal Migration is good or bad needs to be studied: What are the impact of migration of small animals from one place to other and its impact on environment and society needs to be studied? Highway authorities should be asked to report the migratory population of small animals in herds for better quarantine checks and controls.

• Entrepreneurs are facing many problems in interstate transportation of the live animals. The traffic police, respective state police, other state departments and organizations working on animal rights harass them. They are also lacking in the proper facilities for the transpiration of animals for long distance destinations. There is a need for National Livestock & Meat Products Transportation Policy. It is required to ensure interstate movement of animals without any harassment on highways by various state authorities, NGOs and their field staff. Animal Husbandry Department, in consultation with various stakeholders, should develop Good Transportation Practices Guidelines for Live Animals.

• Rural banks must promote Cooperatives or Farmers Organizations of Sheep / Goat breeders to achieve economy of scale and better control on resources.

• Agriculture universities and veterinary collages must have programs for human resource development of this sector for farmers, breeders, traders, retailers and transporters. These training for various activities are required for efficient SPG based businesses.

• Public awareness about the sector should be enhanced and its role in poverty alleviation must be addressed.

• Small Animals Business management activities must be promoted to encourage entrepreneurship, investment and employment generation.

   Also Read: ATM and cash Option: http://sardanavijay.blogspot.in/2013/06/any-time-money-atm-or-cash-options-for.html

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