’More investment is needed to expand the lab network to ensure livestock health’

The government is focusing on strengthening animal disease surveillance, preventive cures, and expanding the lab network to monitor and track disease patterns, said animal husbandry and dairying secretary Alka Upadhyay on Friday.

"The world is moving in the IT field; we need to harness the same. We have to invest more to expand our laboratory network,” Upadhyay said at the launch of the Pandemic Fund Project on Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and the 21st Livestock Census operation.

“Unfortunately, this sector has not seen the required investment so far, but things are changing. Every year, even from the Government of India, our budget is increasing, and we are spending more on the livestock sector,” the secretary added.

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The Pandemic Fund is a multilateral financing mechanism that provides multiyear grants to help low- and middle-income countries better prepare for future pandemics.

India has secured a $25 million grant from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and expects to leverage $259 million in co-financing and an additional $82 million in co-investment to support its plans to strengthen animal health security. 

The project complements India's investments in human health security under the National One Health Mission, which aims to enhance livestock livelihoods and economic contributions, support women’s economic empowerment, and improve human health by mitigating zoonotic disease threats across 12 Indian states.

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“Animal diseases can severely affect the livestock industry, which is a key source of income for millions of Indian farmers and a key component of food security. Healthy livestock contributes to a reliable supply of meat and other animal products, ensuring food security for the population," said Amitabh Kant, former CEO chief executive of the NITI Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa, while highlighting the importance of animal health in the country's economic growth at the event. 

“We need to create awareness of disease control measures and how to treat the illness of animals, and there is a shortage of veterinary workforce, which is very critical,” Kant added. 

He also highlighted veterinary infrastructure gaps, particularly in diagnostics and support for assistance. 

He said that "there are funding constraints on ongoing vaccination drives, disease surveillance. All this will be addressed through this fund. We will be able to enhance our institutional capacities, improve risk communication and establish a robust surveillance system.”

 The secretary informed that the 21st Livestock Census will cover 280 million households and non-household enterprises across the country, with the support of 100,000 trained officials. The report will be released in five months or after February 2025.

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The livestock census began in 1919 and has been conducted every five years since.

"The primary objective of the 21st livestock census is to gather accurate and comprehensive data on the livestock population in the country to facilitate proper planning, formulation, implementation, and monitoring of programmes meant to improve the livestock sector and thus the economy,” said the Union minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh. 

According to the 20th census, India has 536.76 million farm animals, making it the world's second-largest livestock population.

India is the largest producer of buffalo meat and the second-largest producer of goat meat. It is also the world's largest milk producer, with 22% of global production, followed by the US, Pakistan, China, and Brazil.

The animal husbandry and dairying sector contributes nearly 6% to the Indian economy and about 30% to the gross value added of agriculture.