Pune: Five-Yearly Livestock Census Started In Maharashtra From Monday; Census To Carry Out Through Mobile App

Pune, 26th November 2024: The 21st Livestock Census in Maharashtra officially began on Monday (25th November), with the process being conducted through a mobile app, as informed by Sushma Jadhav, Joint Director of the Animal Husbandry Commissionerate. This five-yearly census is crucial for the development and better planning of livestock resources, especially since products like milk, eggs, and meat play an important role in both nutrition and generating supplementary income.

Maharashtra, known for its substantial livestock population, ranks seventh in the country overall and fifth in poultry production. The census, which has been conducted every five years, aims to gather detailed data on livestock to aid in future policies and initiatives.

The 20th Livestock Census, conducted in 2019, was the first to collect data categorized by type of livestock, as well as separating information based on rural and urban areas. According to that census, Maharashtra had a total of 33,380,000 livestock, reflecting an increase of 1.83% compared to previous counts.

For this year’s census, officials will collect breed, age, and gender-specific data on 16 types of livestock and poultry across both urban and rural areas, focusing on households, family and non-family activities, and institutions such as goshals (cattle sheds). The census will be carried out over a period of four months, from November 2024 to February 2025.