As per the Integrated Sample Survey, the average annual productivity of cattle in India (1777 kg per animal per year) is quite low when compared with global averages (2699 per kg per animal per year). The major causes of low productivity are both intrinsic (low genetic potential) and extrinsic (poor nutrition/feed management, inferior farm management practices, ineffective veterinary and extension services, and inefficient implementation of breed improvement programs). The poor quality and inadequate availability of feed and fodder are considered the major ones. According to the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, there is a deficit of 23.4 percent in the availability of dry fodder, 11.24 percent in that of green fodder, and 28.9 percent for concentrates. It is due to the following reasons:

• Pressure over land: The area under fodder cultivation has remained stagnant at 4% of the cropping area due to increasing demand for food grains, oilseeds, and pulses, declining land size, and encroachment of grazing lands. As a result, livestock predominantly depend on crop residues as their main source of feed (>44%) in much of India, which are notoriously low in nutritional quality, high in fiber, and low in crude protein.
• Issues with dry fodder/straw/crop residue:
  • Farmers have shifted towards high-yielding dwarf varieties of crops (wheat, maize, sorghum, etc.) which have high grain content but negligible straw.
  • Straw is being diverted towards the paper and brick industry.
  • Straw burning also reduces the availability of dry fodder.
  • Price volatility: Due to high volatility in prices of the feed ingredients, firms producing concentrates often resort to substitution of feed ingredients at the expense of feed quality. This affects the health and productivity of the animals.
  • Quality of fodder: Due to a lack of assured market and inadequate awareness among farmers adoption of improved varieties of fodder crops is still very limited and varies regionally.

Measures to improve quality and quantity of fodder:

• Cooperatives: Various initiatives such as creating fodder cooperatives, and increasing the common grazing lands for an adequate supply of feed and fodder for the milch animals can be helpful.
• Integrated farming systems: Adopting Silvi-pastoral and horti-pastoral models suitable to the area could help in substantially enhancing the availability of forage for the livestock. Production of fodder crops in unused areas of farmland can also be helpful.
• Buffer Stocks: Establishing a community fodder bank where surplus fodder can be stored as hays/silage/fodder blocks for use during scarcity.
• Support to farmers: Measures such as credit facility, assured market, forward and backward linkages can be helpful in promoting fodder production.

With an increasing livestock population, there is a need to ensure the timely availability of nutritionally rich feed for the livestock. The government has taken some steps in this regard such as there are plans to use MGNREGA to develop fodder farms, develop fodder FPOs, promote quality seeds and entrepreneurs in fodder production, connecting the deficit states with surplus fodder-producing states.