📊 Livestock Census

• The first livestock census was done in 1919, 47 years after human counting was started in 1872.
• First livestock census, after independence was conducted in the year 1951.
• It is held by Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying under Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. (Made recently in 2019)
• It is conducted quinuennially (every five years).
• The Livestock Census covers all domesticated animals and its headcounts. So far 19 such censuses have been conducted in participation with State Governments and UT Administrations.
• The 20^th Livestock Census was conducted in participation with all States and Union Territories.
• The enumeration was done both in rural and urban areas. Various species of
  • Animals: Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun, Yak, Sheep, Goat, Pig, Horse, Pony, Mule, Donkey, Camel, Dog, Rabbit and Elephant
  • Poultry birds: Fowl, Duck, Emu, Turkeys, Quail and other poultry birds
• possessed by the households, household enterprises/non-household enterprises and institutions have been counted at their site.

Main objectives

1. To assess the growth rate of the livestock
2. It helps to assess/improve the quality/production performance
3. It helps to reduce the uneconomical livestock by culling

Important Highlights of 20th Livestock Census 2019

• The total livestock population consisting of Cattle, Buffalo, Sheep, Goat, Pig, Horses & Ponies, Mules, Donkeys, Camels, Mithun and Yak in the country is 535.78 million numbers in 2019. The total livestock population has increased by about 4.6 % over the previous 2012 census.
• Total bovine population (Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun and Yak) is 302.79 million in 2019 which shows an increase of about 1 % over the previous census.
• The Total Number of Cattle in the country in 2019 is 192.49 million showing an increase of 0.8 % over previous Census.
• The Female Cattle (Cows population) is 145.12 million, increased by 18.0 % over the previous census (2012).
• The Exotic/Crossbred and Indigenous/Non-descript Cattle population in the country is 50.42 million and 142.11 million respectively.
• The Indigenous/Non-descript female cattle population has increased by 10 % in 2019 as compared to previous census.
• The population of the total Exotic/Crossbred Cattle has increased by 26.9 % in 2019 as compared to previous census.
• There is a decline of 6 % in the total Indigenous/ Non-descript cattle population over the previous census. However, the pace of decline of Indigenous/ Non-descript cattle population during 2012-2019 is much lesser than as compared to the 2007-12 which was about 9%.
• The total buffaloes in the country is 109.85 million showing an increase of about 1.0 % over previous Census.
• The total milch animals (in-milk and dry) in cows and buffaloes is 125.34 million, an increase of 6.0 % over the previous census.
• The total sheep in the country is 74.26 million in 2019, increased by 14.1% over previous Census.
• The goat population in the country in 2019 is 148.88 million showing an increase of 10.1% over the previous census.
• The total Pigs in the country is 9.06 million in the current Census, declined by 12.03% over the previous Census.
• The other livestock including mithun, yak, horses, ponies, mule, donkeys, camel together contribute around 0.23 % of the total livestock and their total count is 1.24 million.

Livestocks

Cattle (36 %) > Goat (28 %) > Buffalo (20.5 %) > Sheep (13.87 %)

Poultry

• The Total Poultry in the country is 851.81 million in 2019, registered an increase of 16.8 % in the total poultry.
• The total birds in the Backyard Poultry in the country is 317.07 million. The backyard poultry has increased by around 46 % as compared to previous Census.
• The total Commercial Poultry in the country is 534.74 million in 2019, increased by 4.5 % over previous Census.

  

Camel

• Total Camel Population in the country is 0.25 Million (2.5 lakh) during 2019.
• Total Camel Population has decreased by 37.1% over previous Livestock Census 2012.
• Rajasthan > Gujrat > Haryana

Maximum Population (State Wise)

Major State increase in Livestock population

West Bengal > Telangana > Andhra Pradesh

- https://dahd.nic.in/
- G.C. Banerjee: A Textbook of Animal Husbandry
- Wikipedia