Problem of Numbers in Cattle Development

Transcription

1 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL NUMBER FEBRUARY 1964 Problem of Numbers in Cattle Development The problem of numbers in cattle development is getting worse, judging from the Livestock Census in The problem is both of the old and useless stock as also of the surplus young stock. The present solution, which apparently does not offend anybody's susceptibilities, is to keep the numbers under control through a process of neglect and starvation. This has not altogether prevented the numbers from, growing and as numbers grow, even greater starvation will have to be resorted to, in order to achieve the required results. For now with epidemics such as rinderpests brought under control and veterinary services improving, the rate of mortality from disease will decline and that from starvation will have to he stepped up. Those who survive starvation are not necessarily those who should survive. As a process of weeding out, starvation is thus indiseriminiate. It is also uneconomic and wasteful. True, slaughter of cattle is not in consonance with our cultural tradition and values. But which is more humane and more in harmony with our cultural tradition and values, slaughter or killing through starvation? Whatever the choice we make, let it be firmly understood that there is no escaping from the elementary principles of livestock husbandry, namely, that without adequate weeding out through appropriate selection between sex and age and between one animal and another, there can be no efficient management of stock. If we neglect these elementary principles, we shall only be postponing and making more difficult the development of cattle in this country. The elementary truth shall prevail, viz, that without some measures to control their numbers, cows will not grow only their numbers will grow. T^HE All-India Livestock Census taken in 1961 shows that the cattle population of the country has increased by about 10 per cent over the five-year period This would be considered as quite satisfactory if all the cattle population could be regarded as wealth. Unfortunately, this is not so. As is well-known, the quality of our cattle is generally very poor. All our cattle is not wealth and much of it probably a net burden on the resources of the country. One of the principal reasons for the poor quality of the cattle is its large number in relation to the available fodder and feed resources and it is evident that in order to improve the quality of the stock, something will have to be done to reduce and to regulate the numbers. The problem of numbers in relation to resources is now generally well recognised with regard to the human population and the need for a population policy is accepted- In regard to cattle, however, because of the sentiment surrounding the cow, the problem of numbers has not so far been discussed dispassionately. As is well known, cattle and buffaloes are bred and reared as draught and milch animals rather than for meat. There is practically no breeding and rearing of cattle V M Dandekar for beef, as a majority of the population does not eat beef. Not that cattle are not slaughtered at all. But generally it is the useless animals that find the way to the slaughter-house and that too, through devious ways It is this fundamental aversion to slaughter of cattle, as distinct from killing of smaller animals like sheep and goat that has stood in the way of an economic approach to the problem of cattle development in this country. The problem is both a delicate and a difficult one. But it is for that very reason that a dispassionate discussion is al] the more necessary. Birth Control Ruled Out Whether it is the human population or the cattle population, a population grows every year by the balance of births over deaths. Until recently, death took a fairly heavy toll of life of both men and cattle and did not leave much balance of births to add to the total number- But recently, the situation has changed radically. For both, epidemics and diseases have been brought under fairly effective control and improved health or veterinary services have greatly reduced mortality. As a result, an increasingly larger balance of births over deaths is being added annually to the total number. It is thus that the recent censuses have shown very large increases in numbers both of the human and the cattle population. In the case of the human population, the consequences of a fall in the death rate are now well recognised. A fall in death rate is of course to be desired. Indeed it should be one of the primary objectives of economic and social policy. With improved standards of living, no one should die prematurely; everyone should live up to a ripe old age. How. ever, this is impossible to achieve without a limitation of numbers. The corollary is therefore accepted that fewer must be born- Thanks to science, this has now become possible. Family planning figures prominently today as an important State policy. The consequences of a fall in the death rate in the cattle population are similar but the solution has to be different. Here the control of births Is not possible. A cow is maintained because she drops a calf and gives milk. Even if the calf were not needed, a cow must drop a calf every year if she is to remain in milk. Therefore, if births of calves are controlled, a cow would cease to be in milk for long periods. At present, because of their emaci- 351

2 ANNUAL NUMBER FEBRUARY 1964 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ated condition, only one-third of the adult cows are found to be in milk. If birth control is adopted as a means of checking growth of numbers, not even one-tenth of the cows could be kept in milk and it would be impossible economically to maintain such a herd of cows. The Alternatives This is a major point of difference between human and cattle population. There is reluctance to admit that there is this difference and much sentiment is brought to bear on this issue. In particular, a great deal of argument is spun out of the symbolisation of the cow as the mother. This merely clouds the issue, There is no point in denying that there can be no analogy between the cow and the mother. There are several practices which have now come to be accepted in respect of the cow, such as cross-breeding, artificial insemination and economic recovery of the carcass, which do not quite fit the analogy of the mother. It should therefore be explicitly understood that whatever be our sentiment, the reason why a cow is maintained is that she drops a calf and gives milk and gives it in sufficient measure to justify her feeding. If she failed to do that, she would not be fed. Thus the control of cattle population through control of births is not possible. The only choice left is therefore that of controlling the population through the operation of a higher rate of mortality. There are three alternative methods of doing this. One is to allow more deaths by disease and epidemics. This is obviously not desirable. Diseases not only kill, they also disable the living and reduce their work efficiency; and epidemics might endanger entire herds. Increased mortality through disease and epidemics cannot therefore be allowed. The second alternative is to slaughter, which we are unwilling to contemplate. The only choice then left is to let the animals, which it is uneconomic to maintain, to die of neglect and starvation. It is thus that we are at present trying to keep the numbers down in the cattle population. The consequences are to be seen in the census figures. 352 Less Cows than Bullocks As an illustration, let us examine the census figures for Maharashtra. According to the 1961 livestock census, there were in Maharashtra 85.5 lakhs of bullocks and 67.8 lakhg of cows, The number of cows is thus about 20 per cent less than that of bullocks. How did this difference in numbers come about? Not by sending more cows to the slaughter-house but by the higher mortality of cows. Between a bullock and a cow, the bullock is the more valued and needed animal- Cows are needed primarily to breed bullocks and secondarily for the milk they give. In order that they may be able to do draught work, bullocks have to be fed adequately. Cows do not have to be fed as much in orderto be able to breed. Therefore, bullocks are the first charge on the available fodder and feed supplies, and cows get only the residue. It is this differential feeding and care that leads to differential rates of mortality among bullocks and cows and ultimately results in 20 per cent fewer cows than bullocks- Let us look at the figures a little more closely. The distribution of bullocks and cows in different agegroups was as follows: Number in lakhs Age group Bullocks Cows Total (years) Total 85.5 G It will be seen that the number of bullocks and cows in the two young age-groups 0-1 and 1-3 are about equal, which means that no selection takes place as between male and female youngstock. However, in the adult stock above three years of age, the number of cows is almost 30 per cent less than that of bullocks thus indicating that a definite process of selection operates against the cows. The process of selection does not operate through slaughter of female stock for beef or even slaughter of useless female stock. In fact; there is evidence 10 suggest that more bullocks are sent to the slaughter-house than cows- For instance, the Annual Administration Report of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Bombay State, for the year records that in that year, as many as 1,2(2,000 bullocks and only 10,000 cows were slaughtered In the recognised slaughter-houses in Maharashtra. It is clear, therefore, that the process of selection operates against the cows through higher rates of 'natural' mortality among the adult stock of cows. In other words, because the cows cannot be fed, nor can they be killed, they are neglected, starved and left to die a 'natural' death. Young Stock Starved It is not only the old and unproductive animals that are left to starve. In fact, the problem of numbers is not merely the problem of old and unproductive cattle That is only one aspect of the problem. The problem is more fundamental. It is simply this; A cow is not productive and economic, unless she is in milk. To be in milk, she has to drop a calf every year or say every other year. On an average a cow thus drops say eight such calves during her productive life; but so many young animals are not needed to replace and maintain a given stock. Probably only two or three calves per cow would suffice to maintain the stock at a given level. The remaining are surplus and must be culled. The Indian farmer is denied the facility of culling his young stock. He must therefore take recourse to 'natural' mortality through neglect and starvation. This is what he does. Let us again refer to the Census data for Maharashtra State. As we have seen, the total young stock, male and female together, in the two young age-groups 0-1 and 1-3 was 19.3 and 22.7 lakhs respectively. Now, if there were no mortality in the young stock, the number in the age-group 1-3 would be about twice as large as the number in the age-group 0-1. In point of fact, the number in the age-group 1-3 is only about 20 per cent more than the number in the age-group 0-1. This is on account of the losses due to mortality. Taking these losses to be more or less uniform over the agegroups under consideration, the number in the single age years

3 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY The average ages in the three groups are 0-5, 1.5, and 2.5 years respectively. The above figures then mean that a little over 30 per cent of the youngstock is lost in the year between the ages 0.5 and 1.5 and that a little under 30 per cent of the stock is lost in the next year from the age 1.5 to 2.5. To assess the total mortality in the first three years of life, we must add to this, the mortality in the first six months of life, namely, between age 0.0 and 0.5 and also the mortality in the six months prior to completing the third year of life, namely between age 2.5 and 3.0. Taking the incidence of mortality in the first six months to be 20 per cent and in the last six months to be 10 per cent, the following may be inferred: Substitute for Culling The recorded stock of 19.3 lakhs in the age-group 04 implies that there are about 24 lakhs of births annually and the recorded stock of 22.7 lakhs in the age-group 1-3 suggests that only about 8.5 lakh animals complete their third year of life every year. In other words, out of 24 lakh annual births, only 8.5 lakh, which is about 35 per cent, survive the first three years of life. Thus clearly, because the number of youngstock is large and so much adult stock is not wanted or cannot be supported, the youngstock is allowed to die. The fact that the mortality among the male and the female youngstock is about the same suggests that no more bullocks than their present number are needed or can be afforded. Consequently, no special care is taken even of the male youngstoek. The youngstock. male and female alike, is left more or less to shift for itself. Under these conditions about 35 per cent of the young survive and become adult. Unfortunately, as it turns out. even this rate of mortality is not adequate to arrest the growth in total stock. Thus the problem of numbers in cattle development is not merely the problem of the old and unproductive animals. The problem is more fundamental, namely, that an adult stock of given size gives birth to youngstock much larger than is needed to replace and maintain the stock of given size. It is for this reason that stock control through appropriate selection and weeding has been accepted as one of cardinal principles of scientific stock management. Rather than facing these facts squarely. and accepting selection and weeding of youngstock as the method of stock control. solutions are sought in other directions. Dual-Purpose Breed No Solution It is sometimes argued that the problem of surplus youngstock arises because the present Indian cow is by and large not a dualpurpose animal. The breed which gives good draught animals does not give good milch cows. And because premium is placed on the male stock for draught purposes, the female youngstock is regarded a surplus. It is therefore hopefully suggested that if we had a really good dual-purpose breed, there would be no problem of the surplus youngstock because the male as well as the female calves would be equally useful However. without questioning the usefulness of a dualpurpose animal, it should be clearly understood that dual-purpose cattle do not solve the problem of numbers, neither of the old and useless cattle nor of the surplus youngstock. To see this, one should appreciate that even with a dual-purpose cattle, the difference between a cow and a. bull remains. It is not as if the one and the same animal gives milk and provides draught power. Therefore, one must still decide as to how many bulls one needs for draught work, how many cows to supply the needed male stock and milk and how much youngstock is needed of either sex to replace and maintain the requisite numbers. All the rest is surplus and has to be weeded out. Let us, as an illustration, consider again the census data for Maharashtra State. Let us suppose for a moment that all the cattle in Maharashtra are a good dual-purpose breed and examine the requisite size of the youngstock needed to replace ANNUAL NUMBER FEBRUARY 1964 and maintain a given size of adult stock- At present, the adult stock consists of 64.9 lakh bullocks and 46.4 lakh cows. Let us suppose that the present number of bullocks is required and is adequate. Prom the fact that the stock has been increasing by 2 per cent per annum, it is obvious that the present stock of cows is adequate to more than replace the present stock of bullocks- Deliberate Weeding Out Needed We have seen that the present stock of cows gives birth to 24 lakh calves annually. With a stock of cows better fed and better in health, it can be shown that about 40 lakh cows are enough to produce a crop of 24 lakh of calves annually. Further, we have seen that in the present conditions of feeding and care of the youngstock, of the 24 lakh calves being born annually, only about 8.5 lakhs survive the first three years of life. This is because of the high mortality among the youngstock arising out of neglect and starvation. If this mortality is reduced to even half its present level, which needs no more than a little better care and feeding of the youngstock, it can be shown that only 18 lakhs of new births are needed annually to produce the same adult stock of 8.5 lakh every year. This means that a stock of no more than 28 lakh adult cows would be needed to replace and maintain an adult stock of 65 lakh bullocks. Thus in the adult stock, the female stock need be no more than 40 per cent of the male stock. But the proportion of male and female in the youngstock would be more or less equal and hence it is evident that at least 60 per cent of the young female stock will have to be weeded out every year. Such deliberate weeding out at an early stage will help reduce the size of the youngstock and will enable it to be fed and looked after much better and hence will lead to higher survival rates in the same. Also, if the stock of adult cows is reduced in due course from its present level of 46.4 lakhs to no more than 28 lakhs, that will itself enable the stock to be fed better and thus improve the milk yields. This reduced stock of cows can then give all the milk and much more than what the 353

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5 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL NUMBER FEBRUARY 1964 present large stock gives. However, if someone argues that there is no need to weed out the young female stock and that we could let the entire female stock grow and have more milk, he must understand that it means that we shall then have more than 28 lakh adult cows that we need in order to breed the requisite male stock, that, consequently there will be more than 18 lakh annual births and that ultimately we shall have to weed out not only the female stock, but also the male stock. Overburdening the Resources Let it be firmly understood, that under no circumstances, can we let the entire youngstock to grow into adult stock without allowing the total stock to grow without limit and thus overburden the resources and in consequence deteriorate itself and deteriorate the resources. Therefore, with or without a dualpurpose cattle, the need for selection and weeding out remains paramount. Thus the problem of numbers in cattle development is the problem of both the old and the useless stock as also of the surplus youngstock- The present solution and which apparently does not offend anybody's susceptibilities, is trying to keep the numbers under control through a process of neglect and starvation. As experience has shown this has not altogether prevented the numbers from growing and it. is evident that as numbers grow even starker starvation will have to be resorted to, in order to achieve the required results. Moreover, until recently, epidemics and diseases helped in the process, A neglected and famished animal easily fell prey to epidemics and diseases and did not have to suffer the agony too long. But now with the epidemics such as the rinderpest brought under effective control and with veterinary services improving it will not be so easy to die of a disease and the animal will have to suffer the pains of hunger over longer periods. Therefore, to be effective, the process of starvation will have to be not only starker but also longer. Quite apart from the agony to which the animals are subjected In the process, elimination by starvation is indiscriminate whereas weeding through slaughter can be selective. The maxim of the survival of the fittest is only a tautology; those who survive are certainly those who are fit to survive, but not necessarily fit for anything else. In particular, those who survive long periods of starvation are not necessarily those who should survive. As a process of weeding out, starvation is thus indiscriminate. It is also uneconomic and wasteful. The carcass of a healthy and well-fed animal has many uses and is thus of much economic value. The same animal put through a long process of starvation eats up most of its economic value and finally leaves behind a carcass with nothing but bones and much inferior hide. But the process is uneconomic for other reasons as well. Slaughter while it kills some, enables the rest to be fed better The process of starvation on the other hand requires a much larger number to be underfed and starved than need be eliminated. Not Fair to the Farmer Thus compared to slaughter, elimination through a process of starvation is indiscriminate, uneconomic and wasteful. True, slaughter of cattle is not in consonance with our cultural tradition and values. But it must be a matter of opinion and taste as to which is more humane and more in harmony with our cultural tradition and value, slaughter or Killing through starvation? Faced with these alternatives, it must indeed be a difficult choice to make. A farmer with more animals on his hand than he can adequately feed, has to face these alternatives every day but the choice is not left to him. Today, if he resorts to starvation, it is not because of a free choice but because he is denied the other choice. In continuing to deny him such choice, let us check if we are not imposing on the farmer certain values which without any justification we are claiming to be somehow more humane and more in line with Indian tradition and culture Whichever the choice we make, let it be firmly understood that there is no escaping from the elementary principles of livestock husbandry, namely, that without adequate weeding through appropriate selection between sex and age and between one animal and another, there can be no efficient management of stock. If we neglect these elementary principles, we shall only be postponing and making more difficult the development of cattle in this country. The elementary truth shall prevail, namely, that without some measures to control their numbers, cows will not grow- only their numbers will grow. Accent on Animal Husbandry THE tempo of implementation of animal husbandly and dairy schemes is to be stepped up in the remaining wars of the Third Plan. The progress of these schemes in terms of physical programmes as well as financial expenditure has been far from satisfactory so far. Inadequate financial provision by States has been the main reason for shortfalls in the animal husbandry schemes. As against the Plan out lay of Rs 16 crores, the outlay in the first two years was about Rs crores or 23.2 per cent. The proposed outlay for is Rs 7.79 crores. The total outlay in the first three years would thus be about 40 per cent of the Plan provision. To step up the production of milk Slate Governments were expected to set up intensive cattle development blocks in the dairy projects. These.schemes have lagged behind. So haw the expansion of livestocks farms, setting up of bull rearing farms, livestock research stations and development of mixed farming. In poultry development, the major Third Plan schemes include the completion and expansion of all the State poultry farms and poultry extension centres, intensive poultry development blocks, organisation of collection, breeding and marketing of eggs and poultry, and assistance to poultry farmers. Their implementation is expected to be stepped up considerably during for which the outlay amounts to Rs 1.46 crores. or nearly a third of the total Third Plan provision of Rs 4.6 crores. The total expenditure in the first two years was only Rs 1.35 crores. 355

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