The figure is a part of the 20th Livestock Census carried out in 2019 across all states and Union Territories. The last such census was carried out in 2012, a statement issued by the ministry said.
New Delhi: The total bovine population — cattle, buffalo, mithun and yak — in the country in 2019 stood at 303.76 million, which is an increase of 1.3% since 2012, when the last livestock census was carried out before 2019, said Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figure is a part of the 20th Livestock Census carried out in 2019 across all states and Union Territories. The last such census was carried out in 2012, a statement issued by the ministry said.
The minister added that the census covered all domesticated animals and its headcounts for a total of 16 species of animals like cattle, buffalo, mithun, yak, sheep, goat, pig, horse, pony, mule, donkey, camel, dog, rabbit and elephant and poultry birds like fowl, duck, turkey and other poultry birds possessed by the households, household enterprises, non-household enterprises and institutions at their site.
According to data, the total Livestock population was at 536.76 million in the country in 2019, showing an increase of 4.8% from the Livestock Census-2012. The total livestock population in rural and urban areas stood at 514.11 million and 22.65 million, respectively, with percentage share of 95.78% for rural and 4.22% for urban areas.
In further details, the minister said, “There is a decline of 6% in the total Indigenous (both descript and non-descript) cattle population from the previous census. However, the pace of decline of indigenous cattle population during 2012-2019 is much lesser as compared to 2007-12 which was about 9%.”
Rupala added, “The total number of buffalos in the country was 109.85 million, showing an increase of about 1.1% from previous census. The total milch animals (in-milk and dry) in cows and buffalo was 125.75 million, an increase of 6% over the previous census. The total Mithun and Yak in the country was 3.9 lakh and 58,000 in 2019, increased by 29.5% and 24.9% respectively, from previous census.”
The minister, however, said, “Considering the number and past trends over last two decades, there is no livestock species which are on the verge of extinction. However, camel and donkey populations are showing declining trends over the last four livestock censuses — 17th (2003), 18th (2007), 19th (2012) and 20th (2019) Livestock Census.”