Farmers and livestock rearers in rural Jharkhand are increasingly turning to animal husbandry as a promising source of additional income, an official said on Wednesday.
It is providing them a safeguard from crop loss due to erratic weather patterns for the past few years.
Jharkhand suffered a drought-like situation in two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. The state government had to declare 226 blocks as drought hit in 2022 and 158 blocks in 2023.
The state recorded normal rainfall this monsoon season after two years.
The Hemant Soren-led government has been providing essential support to boost animal husbandry as a promising source of additional income.
For this, the government has launched Mukhyamantri Pashudhan Vikas Yojana (MPVY), which is aimed at boosting the production of milk, meat, and eggs, thereby narrowing the gap between demand and supply.
“Amid the change in climate, our farmers need to adopt diverse farming. The state has huge demand for milk and meat but they are imported from other states. Our government is working to meet the demand by promoting farmers,” Chief Minister Hemant Soren said at Apke Yojana, Apki Sarkar, Apke Dwar event last month.
He said that farmers could grow their income through animal husbandry. The government is also providing many support to them, he said.
The MPVY provides several valuable benefits including grants and subsidies for purchasing livestock, access to veterinary care and skill development programmes in animal husbandry.
Bhuvenshwar Singh, a beneficiary of MPVY from Ranchi’s Mandar block, said that he received three cows under the scheme and the number of cattle rose to five now. “With an increasing number of animals, my income has also increased,” he said.
Another beneficiary Sanatan Singh said that he used to sell milk locally but did not get the actual price. “Now I sell the milk to Medha dairy, owned by the Jharkhand Milk Federation, and get the actual price through direct benefit transfer,” he said.
Under the scheme, over 1.56 lakh beneficiaries were provided grants and subsidies, while the process for the same for 90,226 farmers for 2024-25 is under process. The government has also drafted a policy to ensure insurance coverage for animals in the state, the official said.
In a bid to provide better animal healthcare services at the doorsteps of livestock farmers, Jharkhand Chief Minister on September 10 launched 236 mobile veterinary units (MVUs).
The MVUs, which are modern ambulances, are equipped with primary medical services, test facilities and will have veterinarians and para-medics, an official said.
“The government is working for the uplift of the farmers of the state. While laying special focus on agriculture and allied sectors, the government has taken important decisions and made policies in the last four-and-a-half years,” Soren said at the programme.
