There is a huge gap between the veterinary education and the needs of the domestic livestock sector. As the sector grows, there will be a demand for veterinary professionals, said Naresh Pal Gangwar, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
“The government is aware of the gap and we are going to come up with schemes where private sector will be incentivised to put in veterinary colleges and I think this gap will be addressed with passage of time,” Gangwar said while addressing the 67th National Symposium of CLFMA of India, the association of livestock sector.
Further Gangwar said that the livestock sector has been playing a very important role in our country. Over the last 10 years, it has grown at a rate of 12 per cent, which is much higher than the growth rate of the GDP of every year. That is a very important indicator of that how the demand for, livestock products is increasing. The demand for livestock products is going to grow at a very fast pace as we reach towards Viksit Bharat by 2027, Gangwar said adding that the sector needs to match that fast growing demand.
Further Gangwar observed that the livestock sector is shifting from subsistence production to enterprise-based farming. This transition must accelerate as demand rises and organising livestock farming as a stand-alone enterprise will be essential to meet growing demand, he said.
On the volatile trend in the prices of maize and soyabean, the key inputs for the livestock sector, Gangwar said as these crops face strong competition from several industries and the availability will depend largely on demand and pricing. If livestock-related crops offer farmers better returns than traditional crops, production will gradually shift towards them. As demand for livestock products and quality feed increases, market forces will help bring about this shift, he said while adding that productivity improvements in these crops will be important.
Divya Kumar Gulati, Chairman, CLFMA of India said livestock feed sector continues to face challenge with availability and prices of maize and soyabean, the key ingredients for the sector. “Without feed, we cannot grow the poultry sector. The sector is growing at 7-9 per cent annually, and we are already consuming around 30 million tonnes of poultry feed. That means feed demand is increasing by 3–3.5 million tonnes every year. Around 55 per cent of the feed is maize. But maize productivity and availability are a concern.” Gulati said adding that there was a need to find a long term solution.
The writer was in Mumbai at the invitation of CLFMA
Published on September 11, 2026