Livestock, camels and dairy

A proverb of the Rajasthan desert says, roughly, that crops may fail, but livestock never desert you. In a land where rain is uncertain and farming risky, animals — cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep and camels — have long been the most reliable source of income and food. Rajasthan's livestock economy is one of the largest in India, and its breeds, adapted over centuries to heat, drought and poor fodder, are among the country's most valuable genetic resources.

Why livestock matters

• Drought insurance — animals can survive when crops fail, and can be sold in bad years.
• Income — milk, wool, meat, hides and draught power.
• Inclusion — landless and marginal families own a large share of the animals; women do much of the care work.
• Nutrition — milk and milk products are central to the diet.
• Culture — cattle fairs, folk deities (Pabuji, Tejaji, Devnarayan) linked to animals, and pastoral communities such as the Raikas (Rebaris).

Rajasthan's position

According to recent Livestock Censuses, Rajasthan has:

• one of the largest total livestock populations of any state;
• the largest number of camels in India (a large majority of the country's camels);
• among the largest populations of goats and sheep;
• a leading share of India's milk and wool production.

Cattle breeds

Buffaloes

• Murrah (Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar) — high-yielding milk breed.
• Surti (south Rajasthan) and Jafarabadi.
• Buffaloes supply a large share of Rajasthan's milk.

Sheep

The Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute is at Avikanagar (Tonk).

Goats

• Marwari (the most common), Sirohi (a good meat and milk breed), Jamunapari, Barbari and Jhakrana (Alwar).
• Goats are the "poor man's cow" — important for landless families.

Camels: the ship of the desert

• Rajasthan has the largest camel population in India.
• Main breeds: Bikaneri (strong, heavy), Jaisalmeri (fast riding camel), Mewari, Marwari, Jalori and Kachchhi.
• The camel was declared Rajasthan's state animal (livestock category) in 2014, and the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 2015 banned slaughter and restricted movement out of the state.
• The National Research Centre on Camel is at Bikaner.
• The BSF camel contingent patrols the western border and appears in the Republic Day parade.

The camel's decline

Camel numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades. Reasons include:

• mechanisation (tractors and trucks replacing camels);
• loss of grazing lands (orans and common lands) to canals, farms and energy projects;
• the 2015 law, which — while protecting camels — reduced their sale value by restricting trade;
• declining interest among younger herders.

Efforts to reverse the decline include promoting camel milk products, dairies (such as at Bikaner), tourism and incentive schemes for camel breeders.

Dairy

• The Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF), following the Anand (Amul) model, markets milk and products under the Saras brand.
• District milk unions and village cooperative societies collect milk from producers.
• Rajasthan is among India's leading milk-producing states.

Challenges

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. Which state has the largest camel population in India?
2. Which sheep breed is called the "Merino of India"?
3. Where is the National Research Centre on Camel?
4. What is the brand name of the Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation?
5. Which cattle breed is famous for draught bullocks sold at the Nagaur fair?

Mains-style (50 words): Why is livestock described as drought insurance in Rajasthan?

Mains-style (100 words): Examine the causes of the decline in Rajasthan's camel population and suggest measures.