Animal Husbandry Department, Kerala

As  the livestock industry is an important contribution to the  economic development of the state, the Department of Animal Husbandry is  set up to improve the administrative and research infrastructure to support and to manage the development activities in the industry.

The Government has formed a rich administrative and research infrastructure to support the industry. In Kerala, the Department of Animal Husbandry is in charge of developing this subsector. The main activities of the Department include animal healthcare, veterinary facilities, removal of disease, control of zoonotic diseases, guiding and organizing extension activities and training programmes for agriculturalists and veterinarians, and production of biologicals. The activities also include the development of cattle, pig, goat and poultry.

The main aims of the Department are to reinforce the livestock population in kerala in terms of both quality and quantity. To attain the target of rising the milk and meat production, cattle development programmes are implemented in Kerala.  Activities involving crossbreeding are the most significant of these. In addition, the department offers programs for the development of poultry, goats, buffalo, pigs, and rabbits, among other things. To increase production, it provides farmers with training in scientific unit management. Women are also given training to prepare them for starting small domestic units of livestock and poultry to supplement family income. Various trainings offered by the Department comprises of goat farming, dairy farming, pig farming, duck farming, broiler production, backyard poultry production and layer management. In addition, the department conducts an annual Integrated Sample Survey and a Quinquennial Livestock Census to estimate the production of major livestock products like milk, eggs, and meat.