Lok Sabha Question No. 67 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-01
Subject: Animal Fodder
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: PONGULETI SRINIVASA REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, DAIRYING AND FISHERIES LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION No. *67 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 ST  MARCH, 2016

## ANIMAL FODDER

## *67. SHRI PONGULETI SRINIVASA REDDY:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated any scheme/programme for the development and production of animal fodder, especially in the context of prevailing widespread drought in various States and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  pasture  land  in  villages  is  on  the  decline  on  account  of  degradation  and/or encroachment resulting in scarcity of animal fodder and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of rural pastures/grazing land, State-wise, along with action taken for removal of encroachment on such land at the earliest;
- (d) whether the Union Government has approached the State Governments/Central Ministries of  Railways,  Defence,  Urban  Development  and  suggested  alternative  spots/unused  lands which could be utilised for cultivating animal fodder and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the measures taken by the Government to grow alternative grasses/ nutritive fodder to be planted in the areas occupied by the Parthemium weed?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)

- (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *67 PUT IN BY SHRI PONGULETI SRINIVASA REDDY ON 'ANIMAL FODDER' DUE FOR ANSWER ON 01 ST  MARCH, 2016.

- a)  Government  of  India  has  already  taken  necessary  steps  to  increase  fodder  production  in various  parts  of  the  country  by  providing  financial  assistance  to  the  States  /  UTs  under Centrally  Sponsored  National  Livestock  Mission  of  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) with a Sub Mission on Feed and Fodder Development. The detailed components of the Sub-Mission are mentioned at Annexure-I.

Further,  Government  formulated  Accelerated  Fodder  Development  Programme  in  2011-12 under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) of Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare which continued upto 2013-14. The assistance for fodder development was also provided under this scheme.

From  2014-15,  Additional  Fodder  Development  Programme  under  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas Yojana (RKVY) of Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare has been formulated for drought affected areas, which is continuing at present.

The details of funds released under all the above programmes are given at Annexure-II.

Further, States undertake Fodder Development under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as per their requirement, which is approved by the State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) headed by the Chief Secretary.

- b) & c) As per the latest report furnished by Directorate of Economics & Statistics Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare in their Land Use Statistics at Glance May 2015  report,  there  is  a  marginal  decrease  in  the  area  under  permanent  pastures  and  other grazing  lands  in  the  country  from  10,484  thousand  hectares  in  2003-04  to  10,305  thousand hectares  in  2011-12  to  10,240  thousand  hectare  in  2012-13.  Reasons  for  gradual  decrease  in area under pasture land across the States are that some of these lands have either been diverted for other agriculture purposes or encroached upon thereby restricting availability for livestock grazing.  The  responsibility  to  safeguard  against  encroachment  of  land  lies  with  the  State Governments.

The details of State-wise pasture and other grazing land available in the country, during 200304, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 are given at Annexure-III.

- d) The Department approached the Ministry of Railways for utilisation of land along railway tracks for growing fodder. However, the Department has received a communication from the Ministry of Railways that in view of safety of train operations, it would not be feasible for them to promote growing of grasses for fodder purpose on either side of the tracks.
- e) Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has issued advisories from time to time  regarding  better  practices  for  management  of  grassland  for  increasing  availability  of fodder as well as for mitigating the effects of natural calamities. Mechanical means like deep ploughing before flowering and growing of fast maturing crops like sorghum, daincha etc. also suppress  the  growth  of  parthenium.  Further,  chemical  means  are  also  used  to  suppress  the growth of parthenium.

*****

## The detailed Components of the Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed Development:

|   S. No. | Name of the Components                                                                                                   |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Fodder Production from Non-forest wasteland/rangeland/grassland/non- arable land                                         |
|        2 | Fodder production from Forest land                                                                                       |
|        3 | Fodder Seed Procurement/ Production & Distribution                                                                       |
|        4 | Introduction of Hand Driven Chaff-Cutter                                                                                 |
|        5 | Introduction of Power Driven Chaff-Cutter                                                                                |
|        6 | Distribution of low capacity, tractor mountable Fodder Block Making units, hay baling machines/reapers/forage harvesters |
|        7 | Establishment of silage making Units                                                                                     |
|        8 | Establishment of by-pass protein production units                                                                        |
|        9 | Establishment of Area Specific Mineral Mixture / Feed Pelleting/ Feed Manufacturing Unit.                                |
|       10 | Establishment/modernization of Feed Testing Laboratories                                                                 |

## Annexure II

1. The year-wise release of funds under Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed Development is given as under

(Rs in crores)

| Year    |   Release |
|---------|-----------|
| 2014-15 |     47.63 |
| 2015-16 |     16.86 |

2. The year-wise release of funds under Additional  Fodder Development Programme so far is given as under:-

(Rs in Crores)

| Year    |   Release |
|---------|-----------|
| 2014-15 |     31.07 |
| 2015-16 |     30.04 |

3. The year-wise release of funds under Accelerated Fodder Development Programme is given as under :-

(Rs in Crores)

| Year    | Release   |
|---------|-----------|
| 2011-12 | 300.00    |
| 2012-13 | 135.00*   |
| 2013-14 | 80.00     |

*Additional release approved by EGoM

Annexure III State wise area under  pasture and other grazing land in the country

(in thousand Ha)

| Name of the State/UTs   | 2003-04   | 2010-11   | 2011-12   | 2012-13   |
|-------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Andhra Pradesh          | 676       | 554       | 553       | 515       |
| Arunachal Pradesh       | 16        | 18        | 18        | 18        |
| Assam                   | 160       | 160       | 160       | 160       |
| Bihar                   | 18        | 16        | 16        | 16        |
| Chhattisgarh            | 848       | 855       | 863       | 861       |
| Goa                     | 1         | 1         | 1         | 01        |
| Gujarat                 | 850       | 851       | 851       | 851       |
| Haryana                 | 25        | 27        | 28        | 25        |
| Himachal Pradesh        | 1515      | 1508      | 1508      | 1508      |
| Jammu and Kashmir       | 125       | 119       | 123       | 114       |
| Jharkhand               | 110       | 110       | 121       | 114       |
| Karnataka               | 947       | 912       | 908       | 908       |
| Kerala                  | 0         | 0         | 0         |           |
| Madhya Pradesh          | 1360      | 1328      | 1321      | 1286      |
| Maharashtra             | 1249      | 1242      | 1244      | 1245      |
| Manipur                 | 1         | 1         | 1         | 1         |
| Meghalaya               | -         |           |           |           |
| Mizoram                 | 6         | 5         | 5         | 5         |
| Nagaland                | -         |           |           |           |
| Odisha                  | 443       | 513       | 508       | 536       |
| Punjab                  | 4         | 4         | 4         | 5         |
| Rajasthan               | 1708      | 1694      | 1694      | 1694      |
| Sikkim                  | -         |           |           |           |
| Tamil Nadu              | 113       | 110       | 110       | 110       |
| Tripura                 | -         | 02        | 02        | 02        |
| Uttarakhand             | 229       | 199       | 199       | 192       |
| Uttar Pradesh           | 66        | 66        | 66        | 66        |
| West Bengal             | 5         | 5         | 4         | 3         |
| Andaman and Nicobar     | 6         | 4         | 4         | 4         |
| Chandigarh              | -         |           |           |           |
| Dadar and Nagar Haveli  | 1         | 1         | 1         | 1         |
| Daman and Diu           | -         | 0         | 0         |           |
| Delhi                   | -         | 0         | 0         | 0         |
| Lakshadweep             | -         | 0         | 0         |           |
| Puducherry              | -         | 0         | 0         | 0         |
| Total                   | 10484     | 10305     | 10311     | 10240     |