Livestock sector plays a critical role in India's economy and food security, says Gujarat agri minister

NEW DELHI, 23 July 2024: The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, along with the states of Gujarat conducted a “Regional Training Workshop on the 21st Livestock Census Software (Mobile & Web Application/Dashboard) and Breeds for State and District Nodal Officers (SNO/DNO).”

The workshop took place today in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, aiming to train the State and District Nodal Officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan states on the newly launched mobile and web applications for the upcoming 21^st Livestock Census scheduled during September – December, 2024.

Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat, Raghavjibhai Patel inaugurated the event in the presence of Shri Sandeep Kumar, Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Cow Breeding, Fisheries & Cooperation, Government of Gujarat, Shri Jagat Hazarika, Adviser, DAHD, Government of India, Dr. B P Mishra, Director, ICAR-NBAGR, Dr. V.P Singh, Director (Statistics), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying  and Dr. Falguni S Thakar, Director Animal Husbandry, Govt. of Gujarat. Addresses from these distinguished dignitaries set the stage for a collaborative effort towards the successful training of District and State level Nodal Officers for the Livestock Census.

Raghavjibhai Patel highlighted the importance of comprehensive training and capacity building at the grassroots level. He emphasized the critical role of the livestock sector plays in India's economy and food security, calling for meticulous planning and execution of the census. The data gathered would significantly influence future initiatives and address challenges within the sector.

Sandeep Kumar stressed the integration of sustainable practices within the livestock sector. He noted that the data from the livestock census would pave the way for future policies, programs, and new schemes, thereby generating employment and benefiting livestock farmers.

Dr. B P Mishra flagged the importance of accurate breed identification, crucial for producing precise statistics for various livestock sector programs and the National Indicator Framework (NIF) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). He provided a detailed presentation on the breed details of species to be covered in the census.

Jagat Hazarika emphasized the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure the success of the 21st Livestock Census. He underscored the department’s commitment to leveraging technology for accurate and efficient data collection.

The workshop included detailed sessions on methodologies and live application of the 21^st Livestock Census software by the DAHD's software team. State and District Nodal Officers were trained on the mobile application and dashboard software, equipping them to train enumerators at their respective District Headquarters.