Indian Journal o.

fAllimal Sciences 76 (9): 720-726, September 2006

Forage demand and supply in western Himalaya: A balance sheet for
Himachal Pradesh
INDER DEV', BIMAL MISRP and MS PATHANIN
Regional Research Centre. Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, CSK HPKV Campus Himachal
Pradesh 176062 India
Received: 8 February 2005; Accepted: 5 May 2006
ABSTRACT
A study was carried in Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh to understand the forage demand and supply for
livestock in Himachal Pradesh, and to calculate the balance of forages for the state. Though livestock rearing
plays a significant role in the economy of the region, yet forage cultivation has remained almost neglected. In Himachal
Pradesh grasslands/pastures produce far below their potential and their carrying capacity is only 1.05 ACU (adult cattle
unit with average body weight of 350 kg). The seconday sources, key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews
and structured interviews and representative focussed PRA's were used to obtain information and drawing the conclusions.
The cattle (41 %) constitute the major share oflivestock in the state followed by goats (22.0%). About 41.0% of the total
geographical area in the state is under natural grasslands. The district-wise forage resources analysis shows that Chamba
has the highest area available for grazing (21%) followed by Mandi and Kangra. The availability of green and dry
fodder from all the available resources in the state was 3145 and 5298 thousand tonnes, while the demand is 6205 and
II 516 thousand tonnes, respectively, indicating a gap of 26 and 54%, respectively. Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti
districts showed a surplus fodder in terms of total dry matter basis, while in the other districts of the state there is
shortage of green and dry fodder. The grazing pressure and grazing intensity for the state were 1.26 ACU/ha and
0.79 haJACU. Fodder of high nutritive quality needs to be promoted to meet the increasing demand. Adoption offarm
forestry, agro-forestry, silvipastures, hortipastures, forage on bunds and integration of fodder crops in the main cereal
crop sequences etc. scheme would also help in meeting the fodder demand. There is also a need for promoting grasses
and fodder development programmes.
Key words: Grasslands/Pastures, Himalaya, Livestock
In Indian Himalaya (which form about 13% of the
geographical area in India), pastures and meadows account
for 11.4 mha area (Singh 1996). Mountain enviromnents are
essentially the storehouses of biological diversity necessary
for the sustainability of human life.. Mountain farming is
predominantly oriented towards mixed fanning, in which
livestock rearing is an important pursuit and plays a crucial
role. It is an effective instrument of social and economic
change in the rural areas, as it provides employment and
income to the weaker sections of the society.
In Indian Himalayan state ofHimachal Pradesh livestock
rearing is an integral part of farming. Sedentary, semi-
migratory and migratory systems of'livestock rearing are
prevalent in Himachal Pradesh. The contribution oflivestock
Present address: IScientist (Senior Scale), 2Principal Scientist
and Head.
l Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics,
CSK HPKY, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176062.
rearing to the state's domestic product is about 40%
emanating from milk and other livestock products. Though
livestock rearing plays a significant role in the economy of
the region, yet forage cultivation has remained almost
neglected as only 0.5% of the cultivated land is put under
fodder cultivation. In Himachal Pradesh grasslands/pastures
produce far below their potential and their carrying capacity
is only 1.31 ACU (adult cattle unit with average body weight
of 350 kg) for subtropical, 1.21 ACU for temperate and 0.64
ACU for Alpine areas (Katoch and Dogra 1999). According
to 1992 livestock census, the total livestock population of
the state is 5.2 million. Bovine population constitutes the most
significant category accounting for about 75% of livestock
population, and its population increased by about 12% from
1972 to '1992 (Vashist and Pathania 2001). Grasslands, fodder
trees and crop residues are the main forage resources and
available forage resources can meet only 50% ofthe demand
(Negi 1990). However, of late, all these resources have
recorded a significant decline in their productivity, which
September 2006]
FORAGE DEMAND AND SUPPLY IN WESTERN HIMALAYA
721
has resulted into poor livestock productivity as there was a
shortage of as much as 50% of dry fodder and 21% ofgreen
fodder in Himachal Pradesh in 1972, where corresponding
shortages for these feed stuff during 2002 was estimated to
be about 59% and 37% for dry and green fodder, respectively
(Vashist and Pathania 2001). The livestock population
pressure on land resources is increasing and this has caused
land degradation and soil erosion due to overgrazing and
trampling ofsoil, which has lead to detrimental consequences
on the environment. The lack of quality fodder is one of the
major impediments in realizing the benefits of various
livestock development schemes launched in the mountainous
regions of Himalaya as well as in Himachal Pradesh. The
crossbred livestock is not able to exhibit their genetic
potential because of inadequate forage availability. The local
famlers purchase large quantities of crop residues imported
from neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana and this adds
to the cost of livestock rearing. Even crop residues are
getting increasingly diverted for other use. Though,
there is a general opinion amongst farmers, planners,
research and development agencies that there is a
shortage of fodder in the state but the same has not been
quantified. The quantification of the shortages assumes
significance for future planning to correct the imbalance. The
exact quantification of forage availability may not be
possible but certain assumptions based on statistical
data can be made possible to study the demand and supply
position of fodder, so that efforts are made accordingly in
future. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to
estimate the demand and supply position of fodder in
Himachal Pradesh.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The basic information on'livestock population, land use
pattem, availability of green and dlY fodder from different
sources were collected from the 'secondary sources, Le.
various issues of Statistical Outline of Himachal Pradesh
(1972 to 2001) and Katoch and Dogra (1999). The
supplementary information was collected by conducting key
informant interviews, semi-structured interviews and
structured interviews and participatory rural appraisal (PRA)
and focussed PRA's. PRA methods as standardized by
KRIBHCO (Krishak Bharti Cooperative Limited- an NOO
working in India) were used to obtain the information from
the fanners. The district-wise livestockpopulation ofthe state
was converted into adult cattle units (ACU) as per Tyagi and
Shankar (1995).
Animal weight x No. of livestock
OneACU 350
where, weight of cow 2.5 years of age), 200 kg; weight of
cow (>2.5 years of age), 300 kg; weight of buffalo 2.5
years of age), 250 kg; weight ofbuffalo (>2.5 years of age),
400 kg; weight ofsheep and goat, 1/5thACU; others (equines/
camel/yak), each equivalent to 1 ACU.
The growth rates of livestock population over different
inter-census periods were estimated (Vashist et al. 2000) as
P
t
= Po (1 + r/lOO)!where, P
t
, population oflivestock at the
end ofthe period; Po, population oflivestock at the base year;
r, annual compound growth rate; t, time in years.
Estimation offm'age resources andfodder availability
The forage resources and its production have been
estimated from the Statistical Outline of Himachal Pradesh
(1972-2001), Integrated Sample Survey (2001-2002) and
Report on National Commission on Agriculture (1976): 7.
The estimation of area under field bunds and quantity of
forage produced from different sources were based on
information gathered through P'RAs and from field
observations.
Greenfodder: Estimation ofgreen fodder availability was
made from the resources like forage crops, grasses from
forests, grazing lands, field bunds, fodder trees and weeds
(harvested for fodder purpose) from cultivated fields. The
area under fodder cultivation was taken as 0.5% of the total
cultivated land (Vashist et aI, 2000). In forests 50% of the
reported area was assumed as available for harvest ofherbage
(Tyagi and Shankar 1995). As far as fodder from field bunds
and field crops (weeds) were estimated by PRA techniques,
and it was calculated 10% and 4% of cultivated land. Total
area available .for fodder/grazing was calculated as sum total
of forest area (50% ofthe reported), permanent pastures and
grasslands, cultivated wasteland, barren and uncultivated land
and area under bunds. It was observed through PRA's and
key informant interviews that on an average about 30% of
the grassland area is harvested as green fodder having
production of about 5t/ha; weeds (2.5 t/ha) and cultivated
fodder (30 t/ha). Fodder availability from green f o d ~ e r fi'om
the tree fodder was considered 011 the basis ofstudy conaucted
by National Afforestation and Eco-Development (NAEB)
(1993) and Vashist et at. (2000).
D7Y fodder: The availability of dry fodder from crop
residues was estimated 011 the basis of certain production
and crop residue ratios (field observations). Dry fodder
production from grasslands in the form of hay has been
calculated from 70% of total grazing lands (PRAs and key
informant interviews) at 1.5 tonnes/dry fodder/ha.
Requirement offodder: The recommended fodder levels
have been used as the base for working out total requirements.
Total dry matter requirement has been computed @2.5 kg/
100 kg live weight. Out of 2.5 kg of total dry matter, 2/3rd
is to be fed as dry roughage and 1/3rd of it has to be fed
as green roughage (Banerjee 1997). The per cent gap
between the requirement and availability has been
computed as:
Requirement of fodder - availability of fodder 100
Per cent gap = x
Requirement of fodder
722 DEY ETAL.
[Indian Journal ofAnimal Sciences 76 (9)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Livestock population
Himachal Pradesh is having 5,221,586 livestock
population. Among total livestock population cattle
constitutes the major share of about 42%. The goat
population is second highest and constitutes about 22% of
the population followed by sheep (21 %). Buffalo constitutes
about 14.0%, while other animals constitute only 1% of
the total livestock population (Table 1). The district-wise
analysis shows that cattle population is distributed
throughout the state, with maximum in Mandi and Kangra
and lowest in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts. Buffalo
population decreased with the increase in elevation, while
reverse trend was noted in sheep and goats. Mandi district
supports the highest cattle units followed by Kangra and
Chamba while, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts
supports the least cattle units. The corresponding calculated
values of total livestock population in terms of ACU are
depicted in Fig. 1.
Forage resources availability
The forage available from different land resources is
presented in Table 2. The grazing resources of the state
comprise permanent pastures/grasslands (24.45%), forest
area (11.2%), barren and uncultivable land (3.19%),
Table 1. District-wise livestock population in Himachal Pradesh
District Livestock
Cattle Buffaloes Sheep Goats Others Total
Bilaspur 58,825 93,637 20,319 64,163 1,322 238,266
Chamba 242,304 36,292 257,355 196,146 5,196 737,293
Hamirpur 56,397 101,310 45,861 26,746 1,855 232,169
Kangra 392,914 152,685 189,737 236,502 10,583 982,421
Kinnaur 20,465 2 63,213 33,033 5,679 122,392
Kullu 162,575 351 llO,144 53,478 1,353 327,901
Lahau1 & Spiti 8,463 37,377 11,156 5,367 62,341
Shimla 324,511 24,448 113,397 92,621 5,317 560,294
Mandi 463,211 118,003 199,731 209,595 5,901 996,441
Sirmaur 239,946 42,950 22,453 119,645 4,836 429,830
Solan 142,550 80,155 17,005 86,831 3,080 329,,621
Una 61,414 98,413 3,886 38,070 834 202,617
Total 2,173,575 748,246 1,080,456 1,167,986 51,323 5,221,586
Source: Integrated Sample Survey. Directorate of Animal Husbandry (Himachal Pradesh) 2001-2002.
Table 2. Forage resources ('000 ha) in Himachal Pradesh
Districts Geograph- Total Area under Forest Permanent Cultivable Barren Area Total area Per cent
ieal area cultivated fodder area pastures wasteland and under available for of total
(1) area cultivation (50% of and (6) uncultivable bund fodder! reported
(2) (3) reported) grasslands land (8) grazing area
(4) (5) (7) (4+5+6+7+8)
Bilaspur 116.7 32.4 16.2 5.7 42.6 4.7 6.2 4.24 63.44 54.36
Chamba 652.8 42.4 21.2 135.8 353.3 6.0 5.2 3.24 503.54 77.14
Hamirpur 111.8 36.9 18.45 10.0 0.3 4.9 17.6 3.69 36.49 32.64
Kangra 573.9 118.9 59.45 112.2 97.1 39.9 28.1 11.89 289.19 50.39
Kinnaur 640.1 7.6 3.8 13.6 160.6 6.3 34.1 0.76 215.36 33.64
KulIu 550.3 36.1 18.05 98.7 167.6 3.7 4.7 3.61 278.31 50.57
Lahaul & Spiti 1,383.5 3.1 1.55 55.0 95.4 0.7 4.4 0.31 155.81 11.26
Shimla j95.0 94.8 47.4 86.6 97.2 6.1 12.0 9.48 211.38 53.51
Mandi 513.1 73.3 36.65 56.9 200.8 9.9 16.6 7.33 291.53 56.82
Sirmaur 282.5 41.4 20.7 24.33 60.7 13.0 7.8 4.14 109.97 38.93
Solan 193.6 39.3 19.65 10.1 78.7 12.6 11.1 3.93 116.43 60.14
Una 154.0 42.1 21.05 14.4 9.6 10.3 29.7 4.21 68.21 44.29
Total 5,567.3 568.3 284.15 623.3 1,363.9 118.1 177.5 56.83 2,339.63 42.02
Source: Statistical Outline ofHimachal Pradesh 2000.
September 2006)
FORAGE DEMAND AND SUPPLY IN WESTERN HIMALAYA
723
200
1

I
!
i
100
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oDry --I
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Fig. 1. Gap (%) per annum between demand and supply
cultivable wastelands (2.12%) and barren lands (1 %). These
resources account for 41.0% of the total geographical area.
District-wise analysis shows that Chamba has maximum
availability of area followed by Kangra, Kullu and Shimla.
Area under forest was observed maximum in Chamba and
lowest in BilasPllr. The maximum area under culturable
wastelands and barren lands (33.8%) was found in Kangra
and lowest in Lahaul and Spiti districts (0.6%). The Kangra
district has maximumarea under field bunds (11.89 thousand
ha) followed by Shimla and Mandi.
Fodder production
Greenfodder: The green fodder production available from
total grazing lands, cultivated fields (weeds), fodder crops
and fodder trees (Table 3). District-wise analysis of the green
fodder availability estimates indicate that Chamba district
Table 3. Fodder availability in Himachal Pradesh
Districts Green fodder production ('000 t1annum) Dry fodder production ('000 t/annum)
30% of Weeds from Cultivated Fodder Total Agrowaste 70% of Total dry
grazing cultivated fodder trees green grazing fodder
land@ area (30 t/ha) fodder lands @
5.0 t/ha @ 2.5 t/ha 1.5 t/ha
Bilaspur 76.13 6.42 9.63 2.00 94.18 277.90 66.61 344.51
Chamba 604.25 6.06 9.09 11.24 630.64 171.38 528.72 700.10
Hamirpur 43.79 7.21 10.82 1.92 63.73 232.25 38.31 270.57
Kangra 347.03 21.45 32.18 9.88 410.53 492.10 303.65 795.75
Kinnaur 258.43 0.93 1.40 11.04 271.80 9.60 226.13 235.73
Kullu 333.97 5.87 8.81 9.52 358.17 175.93 292.23 468.16
Lahaul & Spiti 186.97 0.33 0.50 23.92 211.72 3.30 163.60 166.90
Shimla 253.66 16.43 24.64 6.80 301.53 595.43 221.95 817.38
Mandi 349.84 10.50 15.75 8.72 384.81 187.90 306.11 494.01
Sirmaur 131.96 7.82 11.73 4.88 156.39 276.93 115,47 392.40
Solan 139.72 6.60 9.90 3.36 159.58 191.68 122.25 313.93
Una 81.85 7.18 10.77 2.72 102.52 227.03 71,62 298.65
Total. 2,807.56 96.8 145.20 96.00 3,145.56 2,841.43 2,456.64 5,298.07
724 DEY ErAL.
[Indian Journal ojAnimal Sciences 76 (9)
Table 4. Trend in livestock population of Himachal Pradesh
Animals 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997*
Cattle 2, J75,690 2,J 06,220 2,]73,663 2,244,815 2,165,034 2,173,575
Buffaloes 543,887 560,006 616,4]5 794,991 703,549 748,246
Sheep 1:039,946 1,055,005 1,090,322 1,113,768 1,078,940 1,080,456
Goats 906,415 1,035,337 1,059,862 1,]20,139 1,118,094 1,167,986
Others 36,518 38,658 48,278 71,750 5],3]6
51,323
Total 4,702,456 4,795,226 4,988,540 5,345,463 5,116,933 5,221,586
Source: Statistical Outline of Himachal Pradesh, various issue; and*Integrated Sample Survey. Directorate of Animal Husbandry
(Himachal Pradesh) 2001-2002.
Table 5. Per annum fodder budgeting for green and dry fodder in Himachal Pradesh
districts Green fodder Dry fodder Total dry matter
Demand Supply Gap (%) Demand Supply Gap (%) Demand Supply Gap (%)
('000 t) ('000 t) ('000 t) ('000 t) ('000 t) ('000 t)
Bilaspur 332.73 94.18 -38.64 617.45 344.51 -44.20 1,063.62 382.18 -64.07
Chamba 676.38 630.64 -3.64 1,255.17 700.10 -44.22 2,161.16 952.35 -55.95
Hamipur 341.07 63.73 -43.82 632.94 270.57 -57.25 1,090.30 296.06 -72.85
Kangra 1,169.67 4]0.53 -34.97 2,170.57 795.75 -63.34 3,739.03 959.96 -74.33
Kinnaur 86.00 271.80 116.42 159.59 235.73 47.71 274.91 344.45 25.30
Kullu 339.58 358.17 +2.95 630.19 468.16 -25.71 1,085.52 611.42 -43.67
Lahaul & Spiti 45.57 211.72 196.48 84.56 166.90 97.37 145.66 251.59 +72.72
Shimla 682.82 301.53 -30.09 1,267.13 817.38 -35.49 2,182.76 937.99 -57.03
Mandi 1,195.05 384.81 -36.54 2,217.67 494.0] -77.72 3,820.18 647.93 -83.40
Sirmaur 555.02 156.39 -38.70 1,029.96 392.40 -61.90 1,774.21 454.96 -74.36
Solan 453.72 159.58 -34.93 841.97 313.93 -62.71 1,450.389 377.76 -73.95
Una 328.19 102.52 -37.05 609.02 298.65 -50.96 1,049.10 339.66 -67.62
Total 6,205.78 3,145.56 -26.57 11,516.15 5,298.07 -53.99 19,837.80 6,556.30 -66.95
Green fodder has been converted into 40% DM.
has the highest availability followed by Kangra and ManCiL
The availability of green fodder was noted lowest in
Hamirpur, which maybe due to the less area under grasslands,
forest and forage crops.
Dryfodder: The total annual availability of dry fodder in
the state has been estimated to the tune of 5298.07 thousand
tonnes. Availability of dry fodder is mainly from agrowastes
food crops and hay from the grazing lands. Contribution of
hay and agrowastes towards total dry fodder is 53.6% and
46.4%, respectively. The district-wise dry'fodder availability
was the highest in Shimla followed by Kangra and Bilaspur
and lowest inKinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts (Table 3).
The dry fodder availability varied from 167 to 807 tonnes!
annum in different districts in the state.
Trends in livestock population
The compound growth rates worked out for cattle,
buffaloes, sheep, goats and other animals are presented in
the Table 4. The data indicated that cattle and buffaloes
increased at arate of0.2%and 3.08%per amium, respectively
during 1972 to 1987. However, negative gtowthrate of 0.71%
and 2.3% per arulUm was observed from 1987 to 1992 in
Table 6. Grazing presssure and intensity of livestock in
Himachal Pradesh
Districts Total ACU Grazing area Grazing Grazing
('000) ('000 ha) pressure intensity
(ACU/ha) (haiACU)
Bilaspur 158.44 63.44 2.50 0.40
Chamba 322.09 503.54 0.64 1.56
Hamipur 162.42 36.49 4.45 0.23
Kangra 556.98 289.19 1.93 0.52
Kinnaur 40.95 215.36 0.19 5.26
Kullu 161. 70 278.31 0.58 1.72
Lahaul & Spiti 21.70 155.81 0.14 7.18
Simla 325.15 211.38 1.54 0.65
Mandi 569.072 291.53 1.95 0.51
Sirmaur 264.29 109.97 2.40 0.42
Solan 216.06 116.43 1.86 0.54
Una 156.28 68.21 2.29 0.44
Total 2,955.13 2,339.63 1.26 0.79
cattle and buffaloes, respectively. By and large similar trends
were observed for sheep, goats and other animals from 1972
to 1987 and 1987 to 1992. Under overall situation total
September 2006]
FORAGE DEMAND AND SUPPLY IN WESTERN HIMALAYA
Table 7. Projected demand of fodder (thousand t/annum) for livestock in Himachal Pradesh
725
Animals 2002
2010
ACU Green fodder
Dry fodder ACU Green fodder Dry fodder
('000) requirement requirement ('000) requirement requirement
Cattle 1,663.4 5,464.3 4,250.0 1,916.1 6,294.4 4,895.6
Buffaloes 914.5 3,004.1 2,336.5 969.2 3,183.8 2,476.3
Sheep 219.9 722.4 561.8 223.2 733.2 570.3
Goats 235.7 774.3 602.2 245.4 806.2 627.0
Others 54.6 179.4 139.5 57.1 187.6 145.9
Total 3,088.1 10,144.5 7,890.0 3,411.0 11,205.2 8,715.1
livestock population increased at a rate of 0.9% per annum
from 1972 to 1987 and decreased at a rate of0.86%per annum
from 1987 to 1992 inter-census period. The livestock
population of the state has been projected to reach about
5,432,570 by 2010 with a total bovine population of
3,032,822 and 2,342,613, ovine population.
Forage supply-demand balance sheet
Demand for fodder has been estimated on the basis of
green, dry fodder and also on total dry matter basis and
presented in Table 5 and is depicted in Fig. 2. A perusal of
the data revealed that in the state there exists an annual
demand of about 6205 and 11 516 thousand tonnes for green
and dry fodder, respectively. The demand for fodder on total
dry matter basis has been estimated 19,837 thousand tonnesl
annum. The highest demand for green fodder exists in Mandi
(1195 thousand tonnes) followed by Kangra (1169 thousand
tonnes), Simla (682 thousand tonnes), and Chamba (676
thousand tonnes) districts and lowest in Kinnaur (85 thousand
tonnes) and Lahaul and Spiti (45 thousand tonnes). By and
large similar trends were observed for the dry fodder
requirement per annum. Table 6 revealed that the gap between
demand and supply ofgreen and dry fodder is 26.0 and 54.0%,
respectively, in the state. The district- wise analysis shows
that Kinnaur, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts although.
meagre have surplus supply of dry and green fodder. The
fodder availability in terms of total dry matter was observed
in Kinnaur and Lahaul & Spiti districts only. On dry matter
basis the shortage of fodder in different districts varied from
38 to 67%. This indicated that there is a need to increase the
productivity of fodder and grasses by growing quality grasses
and fodder.
Grazing pressure and intensity
The grazing pressure and intensity. were worked out on
the basis of total ACU and grazing' area (ha) (Table 6).
Grazing pressure varies from 0.14 ACU/ha in Lahaul and
Spiti to 4.45 ACU/ha in Hamirpur districts and
"qorrespondingly the grazing intensity is observed to be
highest in Lahaul and Spiti (7.181ha/ACU) and lowest in
Hamirpur (0.23 halACU). The average grazing pressure and
grazing intensity in the state were 1.26 ACU/ha and 0.79 hal
ACU respectively. It is concluded fromthe Table that pressure
on pasture/grazing lands was high in most of the districts.
This indicated that there is a need to increase the productivity
of these lands.
Projected demandfor fodder
The projected demand for green and dry fodder is
presented in Table 7. Total demand for green and dry fodder
for 2002 is 10144 and 7890 thousand tonnes, respectively,
and for 2010 is estimated at 11 205 and 8715 thousand tonnes
respectively. The population in terms ofACU
have been projected about 3088 thousand and 3411 thousand
by 2002 and 2010, respectively.
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