In order to make Gaushalas economically viable, handle the issue of stray and abandoned cattle, and effectively utilise cow dung and cow urine in the agriculture and energy sectors, the Task Force was established by NITI Aayog. The report gives an accurate estimate of the operating expenses, fixed costs, and other concerns pertaining to Gaushalas, as well as the price and investments associated with establishing the Bio-CNG plant and PROM plant there.
In front of the Taskforce members, Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog, released the report. Prof. Ramesh Chand said during his speech at the ceremony that there has been a severe imbalance in the use of livestock manure and inorganic fertiliser over the past 50 years. He continued by saying that this has a negative impact on soil health, food quality, productivity, the environment, and human health.
Waste from cattle helps the circular economy
According to the report, cattle are a crucial part of India’s traditional farming system, and gaushalas can be very helpful in encouraging organic and natural farming.
The agri-inputs made from cow dung and cow urine can minimise or replace agrochemicals while providing plant nutrients and protecting plants for reasons related to the economy, human health, the environment, and sustainability. The efficient use of cattle waste is a prime illustration of the circular economy’s waste to wealth principle.
Gaushalas can serve as a hub for resources
According to the report, there has been a major imbalance in the usage of livestock manure and inorganic fertiliser during the past 50 years. This has a negative impact on the environment, human health, food quality, efficiency, and soil health.
In recognition of this, the Indian government is pushing sustainable agricultural methods including organic and natural farming. By serving as a hub for the provision of bio and organic inputs, gaushalas can play a crucial role in expanding natural and sustainable farming.
Budget and organic farming
Natural farming has received special attention in the Union Budget 2023, and the task force report’s recommendations will strengthen these efforts, which emphasise the current trend towards organic farming and natural farming.
Members of the task group and gaushala officials discussed the role of gaushalas in promoting sustainable farming and waste-to-wealth programmes.
Statements by the experts
Dr. Neelam Patel, Senior Adviser (Agri), NITI Aayog and Member Secretary of the Task Force apprised the participants about the background, terms of references and approach adopted by the taskforce in developing the report.Cattle were an integral component of the traditional farming system in India and Gaushalas can be of great help in promoting natural farming and organic farming.
The agri-inputs developed from cattle wastes- cow dung and cow urine can reduce or replace agro chemicals, serving as plant nutrients and plant protection, on economic, health, environmental and sustainability reasons. The effective utilisation of the cattle waste is an ideal example of a circular economy that harnesses the waste to wealth concept.
Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog highlighted that the unique strength of south Asian agriculture is the integration of livestock with crops. He stated that in the last 50 years, serious imbalance emerged in the use of inorganic fertiliser and livestock manure. This is adversely affecting soil health, food quality, efficiency, environment and human health.
Recognising this, the Govt of India is promoting sustainable agriculture practices such as organic farming and natural farming. Gaushalas can become an integral part in scaling up natural and sustainable farming by acting as a resource centres for supply of bio and organic inputs.
Dr Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice Chancellor, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan highlighted the experiences from Himachal Pradesh and shared that the task force report will strengthen the waste to wealth initiative by promoting the use of organic & bio fertilisers.
He also emphasised the importance of institutional support in improving economic viability of gaushalas.
Shri Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare mentioned that Union Budget 2023 has given special importance to natural farming and the recommendations of the taskforce report will further augment these efforts.
Task force members and representatives of Gaushalas shared their experiences and views about the role of gaushalas in promotion of sustainable farming and waste to wealth initiative.
Gaushalas: Why Are They Required?
The 20th Livestock Census estimates that India has about 19 crore cattle in total, with about 25% (4.7 crore) of those being male (Figure 1). These male cattle, which are aged and unproductive native cows that cannot be used for draught power, are possible candidates for entrance to gaushalas. During 1991-1992, total milk output and per capita availability have expanded at yearly rates of 4.45% and 2.85%, respectively, as dairying has developed over the previous three decades. Between 2012 and 2019, the nation’s total cattle population climbed by 8%.
The primary causes of the fall were the use of machines to replace male cattle used for draught purposes and farmers’ lack of interest in maintaining their cattle once they passed the milking stage and became unprofitable to feed. Such cattle are frequently left behind by farmers, whereupon they either roam or end up in Gaushalas. 89% of the cattle confined in gaushalas in the 10 districts of Haryana were unproductive.
At the end of the day, some of them are slaughtered. 53 lakh stray cattle are thought to be present in the nation. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways reports that there were 1604 traffic accidents in India that were caused by stray animals, with Gujarat having the greatest number (220), followed by Jharkhand (214), and Haryana (211).
The large population of aged, unproductive cows and male cattle is difficult to handle because several Indian states have banned the export of cattle. According to farmer testimonials from Haryana, some farmers also send their newborn male calves to gaushalas (paying the gaushalas to house their male calves) or leave them abandoned close to mandis (markets).
Gaushala Funding
Government grants, milk sales, general public donations, business entities, and a few corporations are the main sources of income for gaushalas. According to certain studies, gaushalas in Haryana received 74% of its funding from individual donations, 7% from grants from the government, and 20% from the sale of milk. 83% of Telangana’s revenue comes from contributions, and 14% comes from the sale of milk and milk-related products.
In India, 81% of gaushalas operated independently of the government, receiving financing mostly for infrastructure improvements, animal adoption, food, medicine, and gaushala growth. Gaushalas incurred significant costs for feed and fodder, veterinarian care, and medical care.
Are They Profitable And Do They Have Sufficient Financial Support?
The majority of gaushalas in India rely primarily on donations, therefore internal income creation is necessary for them to be long-term financially viable. According to evidence from numerous studies, while some gaushalas are profitable or financially viable in the short term (revenues simply meet operating costs), they are susceptible over the long term.
For instance, running costs were up 70% of Gaushalas’ incomes in Haryana, while overall costs were 97% of their income. 12 of the 14 gaushalas that examined in Telangana had negative net earnings, and four of them were unable to even cover their operational costs.
Gaushalas Management And Maintenance
A crucial aspect of animal husbandry is proper housing. Together with healthy breeding, feeding, and illness prevention, it aids in increasing the productivity of animals. Animals need a comfortable and healthy environment to live in. Moreover, it shields animals from bad weather.
Costs Associated With Gaushalas
The largest portion of overall costs was allocated to feed and fodder costs. In Telangana, it accounted for 82% of total costs, compared to 51% in Haryana. 2,236 animals on average were kept in ten gaushalas in Haryana, and 705 in fourteen in Telangana.
The minimal size of a gaushala for this many animals is around 15 acres in Haryana and 6 acres in Telangana, according to the guidelines given above. However, Haryana’s actual gaushala area was only 8.15 acres, which is 46% less than what is advised, and the average area used for fodder was 9.42 acres, which is just 4% of what is advised.
Recommendations
The report recommends building a website similar to NITI Aayog’s Darpan portal so that all gaushalas can register online and become eligible for help from the animal welfare board.
The report recommended that “all grants to gaushalas should be tied to the number of cows, and more attention should be placed on dry, recused or abandoned calves” in order to solve the problem of the threat generated by an increase in the number of stray cattle in urban and rural areas.
To promote the commercial manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of organic fertilisers based on cow dung, including brand development, it was said that specific governmental measures and support were needed.
Further, according to the report, efforts should be made to attract private investments in the mass manufacturing of organic and bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, products that enrich soil, stimulants, and different formulations for domestic use.
To establish technical characteristics and estimations of investments, benefits, and costs of potential economic activity by gaushalas, NITI Aayog requested research from the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).