Organic livestock farming and organic livestock products—in their budding phase in India—represent untapped entrepreneurial opportunities for stakeholders involved in all facets of the value chain.

◊ By Dr P. Baswa Reddy

NOTE: For contact details of stakeholders in organic business in India, buy the Organic Directory

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of change in the attitudes of consumers about the food they eat. Indian consumers are increasingly inclined towards foods that are produced under natural systems and are safe to consume.

This change in consumer attitude is gradually opening more avenues for organic food production and marketing in India. New food safety legislation is also working towards improving the safety standards of food and, at the same time, consumers are increasingly willing to pay for quality foods as their disposable incomes rise.

In India, currently the number of food categories sold as ‘Organic’ is growing rapidly— it started with organic tea and organic spices, and now has grown to organic flour, organic breakfast cereals, organic fruits, organic vegetables, and many more. Of late, consumer demand for organically produced livestock products like milk, meat and eggs is also on the rise.

Although the organic crop production and certification system is reasonably well established in India, the organic livestock and organic poultry sector is in its budding phase.

Organisations such as APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), along with research establishments like ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), are now putting serious efforts into establishing protocols and promote organic livestock production and its certification in India.

As conventional livestock production practices are frequently criticised in the context of food safety concerns and animal disease outbreaks, there is growing consumer demand to move away from the widespread use of antibiotics and feed additives, and to strengthen animal welfare standards.

With increasing concern for animal welfare and environmental preservation, consumers are now looking for alternative livestock production systems, which follow the natural process of animal production with utmost regards for food safety and food security. This has led to the concept of organic meat, organic eggs and organic milk consumption.

Organic animal production system is emerging as an effective alternative to address all of the abovementioned issues. Therefore, in India, there are bright prospects for tapping into this opportunity to develop it into a business model in the Animal Husbandry sector. However, among many other issues, the profitability of organic livestock and organic poultry farming vis a vis conventional farming, is crucial from the point of view of Indian farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers.

ORGANIC LIVESTOCK & ORGANIC POULTRY PRODUCTION STANDARDS IN INDIA

The broad guidelines for organic livestock production under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) of India are as under:

Organic Management Plan: Before starting organic livestock farming, the producer has to make a detailed organic management plan and present it to the certifying agency for approval.

Breed/Strain Selection: Local breeds/strains, which can easily be acclimatised to local climatic conditions, are preferred over exotic breeds.

Source/Origin: Initial stock should be sourced from organically certified units. If the animals are introduced from non-organic units, they should undergo mandatory conversion period as specified for each category of livestock/poultry.

Housing & Management: Livestock and poultry shall be maintained under natural conditions as far as possible. This shall include utilising natural breeding methods, housing and management conditions to minimise stress, health management system to prevent diseases. Minimum shaded, as well as, open area as specified for each category of livestock/ poultry shall be followed.

Conversion Period: Animals brought from non-organic sources shall undergo a conversion period as specified for each category of livestock and poultry. During the conversion period, the animals should be maintained under organic conditions. After completion of conversion period, the animals can be sold as organic.

Feeding: Livestock and poultry shall be provided with organically produced feed during the entire rearing period. The agricultural land committed for cultivation of feed/fodder crops intended to be used as feed for livestock and poultry should be organic. The overall feeding practices should satisfy the daily nutrient requirements of the concerned animals.

Feed additives and supplements used for feeding shall be from natural sources and as permitted under the organic livestock guidelines.

Healthcare: Organic livestock and organic poultry, in general, should follow the basic principles of preventive health and productivity management wherein the focus should be on preventing diseases, detecting underlying fertility and production problems and their correction through nutrition and sanitation.

Antibiotics and other allopathic drugs are not permitted. For the purpose of treatment and prevention of diseases and under-performances, herbal/phyto-therapeutic (excluding antibiotics), homeopathic or ayurvedic products shall be preferred to allopathic veterinary drugs or antibiotics, provided that their therapeutic effect is effective for the species of animal and the condition for which the treatment is intended.

Antibiotics and other allopathic drugs can be used when other modes of cure are not effective to save the life of the animal and in such cases, withdrawal periods as prescribed for each drug should be strictly followed. Hormonal treatment and use of growth promotors shall not be permitted. All vaccinations required by law of the land shall be permitted.

Breeding & Management: Reproduction shall be through natural methods, although artificial insemination may be used. Embryo transfer and hormonal reproductive treatment shall not be used unless prescribed for therapeutic purpose directed towards correcting physiological problems. Breeding techniques employing genetic engineering shall not be used.

Manure & Urine Management: Manure and urine excreta collection and management practices in the organic livestock and organic poultry farm are a critical component. The collection, handling and disposal of the dung and urine from the shed, paddock, open run or grazing areas shall be implemented in a manner that minimises soil and water degradation, does not significantly contribute to contamination of water, optimises recycling of nutrients and does not include burning or any practice inconsistent with organic practices.

Transport: During transport of the animals, the producer shall prevent stress, injury, hunger, thirst, malnutrition, fear, distress, physical and thermal discomfort, pain and disease. Animals must be fit for the intended journey. All necessary arrangement shall be made in advance to minimise the length of the journey and meet the animals’ needs during the journey. The means of transport, as well as, the loading and unloading facilities must be designed, constructed, maintained and operated so as to avoid injury and suffering to the animals and ensure their safety.

Slaughter: The slaughter of livestock and poultry shall be undertaken in a manner, which minimises stress and suffering, and shall be in accordance with the territorial/national rules framed for the purpose. The minimum age of slaughter for each species of livestock should be followed as prescribed for the respective species.

BOTTLENECKS IN ORGANIC LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN INDIA

Awareness: Lack of awareness among farmers about the guidelines of organic livestock and organic poultry farming and the processes available is the main hurdle hindering the development of this sector in the country.

Certification: Very few organic certifying agencies in India have accreditation for organic livestock certification.

Labour: Currently, organic food production is assumed to be more labour intensive since under this system farmers are advised to be more animal welfare friendly and adopt traditional healthcare systems, which involve relatively more labour when compared to allopathic healthcare.

Documentation: Documentation of all the processes and activities in organic production and marketing of the produce under NPOP system is a cumbersome process for an ordinary farmer.

Productivity: Initially, the productivity of organic livestock farms is likely to be lower than conventional farms till organic livestock management, nutrition, healthcare and reproduction practices are fine tuned for higher productive yields.

Costs: Organic certification is costly and organic feed for animals can cost twice that of normal feed. Organic farms tend to be smaller than conventional farms, which means fixed costs and overhead must be distributed across smaller produce volumes without government subsidies.

Market: The organised market for organic livestock products is yet to evolve in the country. Since there is no stringent enforcement mechanism, certified organic produce has to face competition from uncertified and dubious produce sold in the market.

However, as the markets for organic products mature and certified organic products gain consumer confidence, these products will fetch premium price, which can nullify the higher costs involved in production and certification.

ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES IN ORGANIC LIVESTOCK & ORGANIC POULTRY BUSINESS IN INDIA

Since organic livestock rearing and organic livestock products preparation are yet to take a leap in India, there are possibilities of entrepreneurial opportunities in all spheres of the organic value chain, right from production through certification, value addition, marketing and consumption.

All the products and services in the organic food value chain are likely to fetch premium price in the market as they are targeted for niche consumers who are quality conscious and would be willing to pay premium price for quality products.

Certified organic feed and fodder is a crucial input for organic livestock rearing. Some farmers can produce certified organic feed and fodder and supply it to organic livestock producers. Those who have resources may produce and market both organic fodder and organic livestock.

This sector also throws open huge opportunities for veterinarians who specialise in traditional and ethno-veterinary practices of animal healthcare.

Other opportunities in the organic livestock value chain are related to organic certification agencies, inspection executives, organic livestock production process advisors, organic product quality testing, organic value added products such as meats and milk products, wholesale and retail marketing, establishment of organic meat and milk outlets, and export of organic meat, organic milk, organic eggs, etc.

The author is Principal Scientist, ICAR – National Research Centre on Meat. He is currently heading ICAR’s project on ‘Organic Meat Production System for Sustainable Sheep Husbandry & Consumer Health’.