Livestock Revolution in India: Its Impact and Policy Response

Abstract

A demand-driven revolution in livestock consumption and production is taking place in many developing countries, impacting on nutrition, health, the environment, and national and international agricultural marketing and research systems. This Livestock Revolution is most evident in China, India and Brazil because of the sheer size of these countries. While China and Brazil have a dominant role in meat production as part of this Livestock Revolution, the revolution will not be limited to China and Brazil, and extends beyond the meat market. The example of India is a case in point. The near doubling of aggregate milk consumption as food in India between the early 1980s and the late 1990s suggests that the Livestock Revolution goes beyond meat production and consumption. Now the critical question for economic managers and planners in countries such as India is no longer whether the Livestock Revolution is manifest in the country or not, but to what extent poor people and smallholders can play a significant part in this enterprise. This article charts the development of the Indian Livestock Revolution and assesses the potential impact of industrialization of livestock production on small farmers especially. It is argued that intensive livestock farming may not be appropriate for India on a number of grounds. There is a risk that the Livestock Revolution, similar to the Green Revolution, will polarize the inequality between rich and poor. Decisive action needs to be taken to ensure that the poor benefit from such developments, and some policy recommendations are made to address such concerns.