Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in Bihar

■ Bihar’s climatic and topographical conditions make it favourable for the growth of allied sectors in the state.

The growing importance of allied sectors such as fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy farming in Bihar is largely due to its role in supporting livelihoods. As labour-intensive sectors, they employ a large segment of the population and help the poor rural households in earning supplementary income.

The livestock and fisheries sector have experienced an 8.6 percent annual growth rate during 2018-19 and 2022-23.

Fisheries

Bihar has around 3.8% of its geographical area endowed with water resources, which offers adequate water bodies such as rivers, ponds, lakes, reservoirs and floodplain wetlands for the development of fisheries and aquatic biodiversity.

The Fourth Agriculture Roadmap (2023-28) highlights Bihar’s extensive water resources as a significant asset for increasing fish production, which rose from 6.02 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 to 8.46 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, marking an 8.91% annual growth rate. Leading districts in fish production include Madhubani (0.89 lakh tonnes), Darbhanga (0.83 lakh tonnes), and East Champaran (0.71 lakh tonnes), while Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, and Banka lead in fish seed distribution.

Government Schemes to promote fisheries:

1) Mukhyamantri Samekit Chaur Vikas Yojana:

Aims to develop chaur areas into integrated aquaculture systems with a financial target of ₹ 5067.05 lakh; in 2022-23, 346.41 hectares were developed with ₹ 873.19 lakh invested.

2) River Ranching Programme:

Targets the restocking of 2.4 crore fingerlings in rivers across 22 districts, with a financial target of ₹ 14.76 crore.

3) Pradhanmantri Matsya Sampada Yojana:

Under this scheme, a total of ₹104.90 crore has been allocated to Bihar for 2023-24, with a central share of ₹62.94 crore and state share of ₹41.96 crore to support fisheries infrastructure development.

4) Mukhyamantri Matsya Vipnan Yojana:

- Matsya Bazar Nirman Yojana: Approved ₹1158.00 lakh to construct 30 block-level and 30 panchayat-level fish markets, enhancing market conditions and hygiene.
- Matsya Vipnan Kit Yojana: With ₹1407.52 lakh earmarked for fish marketing kits, benefits 9747 vendors with resources for hygienic fish handling.

5) Jalashaya Matsyiki Vikas Yojana (2023):

With a financial target of ₹ 292.38 lakh, this schemes aims to increase fish production and productivity in state reservoirs and manage fisheries sustainably.

Animal Husbandry and Dairying

The Animal Husbandry and Dairying sector have an important position in the overall economic development of the state as well as in the field of employment. Livestock products are an important source of protein and other nutrients, which are crucial to minimize the malnourishment levels in the state.

Livestock

Bihar’s livestock population rose by 35.5% from 269.6 lakh in 2003 to 365.4 lakh in 2019, with cattle holding the largest share at 42.1% (154 lakh). Goat, buffalo, and poultry populations also saw significant growth.

Government Initiatives:

The State has invested in veterinary services, vaccinations, and accessible technology to reduce livestock mortality, under the Bihar Livestock Master Plan (2018-23), focusing on production growth, animal health, and efficient market linkages.

Future plans under the Agricultural Roadmap-IV (2023-28) include the Livestock Health Protection Programme, subsidies for private goat farms, Goshala Development Scheme, and initiatives for fodder production, all aimed at advancing livestock health, production, and farmer welfare in Bihar.

Dairy:

The total milk output reached 125.03 lakh tonnes by 2022-23, registering an annual growth of 6.49%.

The major sources of milk production in the state are cows (63.7% of the total milk production), followed by buffaloes (34.1%) and goat (2.2%).

The districts of Samastipur, Begusarai and Patna together contributed to 17.6% of the total milk production from cows. The major source of buffalo milk is Madhubani, Sitamarhi and East Champaran, which together contributed to 16.6% of the milk production in 2022-23. The leading districts in goat milk production were Sitamarhi, East Champaran and Purnea.