The cattle population in Odisha declined by 5.59 per cent to 11,621,272 against 12,309,000 in 2007, according to the latest livestock census, official sources said here on Wednesday.
The decline is mostly due to farm mechanisation, according to the State’s Fishery and Animal Resources Development Department Secretary Bishnupada Sethi.However, the number of unproductive animals has reduced and they are being replaced by more productive animals, for which female, crossbred animals are on the rise in the State, he said.
According to Sethi, crossbred animals, especially males, are not taken care of, as a result of which their population has dwindled. Even, crossbred milch animals are being sold by farmers to neighbouring States like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.He said cattle population includes crossbred and indigenous cattle. While the crossbred population declined by 23.53 per cent, that of the indigenous cattle population reduced marginally by 2.74 per cent.
Then again, due to the shrinking common grazing resources, the cattle herd sizes in individual households are also on the decrease, he said.