ANIMAL NUTRITION PROBLEM IN BENGAL
By INDUBHUSAN CHATTERJEE, M.Sc., (AGR)., L. AG.
Late Physiological Chemist, Bengal
(Received for publication on 29 December 1944)
IN order that the position of animal nutrition
in Bengal may be properly judged, it is necessary
to realize the limitations forming the special
feature of this province. Bengal presents a
melancholy spectacle in that its food output
whether for man or beast is as much deficient
in quality as in quantity. Of the total cropped
area of nearly 30 million acres (net cropped
area 23 million acres), only about 0.1 million
acres are under fodder crops. Even of this
nearly half is in one single district, viz. Mymen-
singh. In other words the area in the remai-
ning 26 districts is so small that its effective
value is negligible. Of other Indian provinces,
we find that the Punjab has five million acres
for 15.8 million cattle, Bombay 2.5 million acres
for 9.96 million cattle and U.P. 1.48 million
acres for 32 million cattle. In contrast with
these, the only practical expression Bengal has
given as a mark of her cattle conscience or reverence
for the cow is the meagre allotment of a nominal
acreage of fodder (as stated above) and of the
residues (straw) left over after the harvest of
rice crop from 22 to 23 million acres, giving an
estimated yield of 400 to 500 million maunds of
straw. Even if the whole of it is available (it
is well known it is not, as a part of it is used as
matting, a part as thatching, etc. and a part is
wasted) it will not be able to provide more than
2.5 to 3 seers of straw per head of adult popula-
tion leaving out of account the young stocks.
In the case of concentrates the position is not
better. The area under rape and mustard is
0.76 million acres, til (sesame) 0.18 million acres,
linseed 0.19 million acres. The area under rape
and mustard has gone down considerably, as in
1911-12 it was 1.32 million acres, There was
a slow decrease up to 1920-21 after which there
was an abrupt shrinkage. The present area
(764,000 acres) is about three-fifths of the area
30 years ago.
The by-products available
from these and from wheat (0.17 million acres),
barley (0.12 million acres), maize (0.10 million
acres), gram (0.41 million acres), and a sprinkling
of jowar and bajra all taken together do not
provide more than a chatak per head per day.
It is not known what the exact areas are under
pulses. The crop report states that the area
under other food grains including pulses
and marua is 1.3 to 1.4 million acres. To these
may be added the variable by-products of rice
manufacturers and a small supply of imported
cakes as well as by-products from imported oil-
seeds and pulses.
It is difficult to ascertain from the crop reports
the amount available after meeting exports and
imports. It appears from earlier reports that
about 3 to 4 million maunds of linseed were
imported and about the same amount exported
from Calcutta. Regarding wheat, rape, mustard
and pulses, there is apparently a surplus of im-
ports. Little is known about the import and
export of oilcakes and grain by-products.
Nevertheless some amount of cattle feed is
available from these different avenues of import;
but taking the province as a whole the position
is that except for an insufficient supply of a
coarse fodder like rice straw and a limited supply
of concentrates, we have hardly anything to
offer to our cattle. Our green fodders occupy
such a meagre area that not more than 0.4
million of our cattle can derive nourishment
from it. Yet these constitute the sources through
which we have to feed not only the very large
cattle population but also other animals.
According to the census conducted in 1940
the number of live-stock in Bengal is as follows:
Cattle
.
.
.
.
.
.
Buffaloes
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sheep and goats . . . . . .
Horses and ponies . . . . . .
Mules
.
.
.
.
.
.
Donkeys
.
.
.
.
.
.
Camels
.
.
.
.
.
.
Pigs
.
.
.
.
.
.
Fowls
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ducks
.
.
.
.
.
.
22,623,367
1,076,266
6,545,950
77,398
175
905
93
159,743
25,931,999
5,055,661
It will thus be seen that our problem is not merely
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