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Feed And Fodder Resources Of Northeastern India
N.Haque, Saroj, Toppo1, H.Rahman* and K.M.Bujarbaruah
ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Sikkim Centre,
Tadong, Gangtok–737 102, Sikkim
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Senior Scientist; Joint Director, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Sikkim Centre, Tadong – 737 102,
Gangtok, Sikkim; Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), ICAR, New Delhi, Govt. of India
*Corresponding author
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The northeastern Himalayan region comprises of eight states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The region has total geographical area of 262180 sq. km (FSI, 1999). Climate varies from near tropical in the plains to alpine in the hills, based on which the region has been classified into six agro-climatic zones (Table 1). The soil is acidic in nature and the pH ranges from 4.0 to 6.8. The low pH is attributed to leaching of bases from the soil under the influence of high rainfall. On an average 54.48% of total geographical area is under forest cover. Out of total forest area, about 44.14% comes under protected and reserved area and rest 55.86% comes under unclassified forest (FSI, 1999). Net sown area in NE region is only about 12.7%. Livestock is an integral component of agricultural system in the region and with the availability of large area of uncultivable and grass land, animal husbandry has tremendous potentiality in this region. The focus of this chapter is to have some analytical views about the availability of different types of feeds and fodders to support livestock production on economic footing.
Land use pattern in northeastern region
The net sown area of northeast states is 12.7% which is far lower the average national figure (46.84%; FSI, 1999). It is even lower than that for western Himalayan region (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Utter Pradesh). The individual figure for Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh is 34.96, 26.41, 14.63, 13.38, 9.64, 6.33, 5.17 and 3.37%, respectively. Of the total net sown area 56.0% is in the low land including villages, 33.0% in mid hills and remaining 11.0% is in high hills. Land use pattern varies from ‘Bun’ in Meghalaya to ‘Jhum’ in Nagaland to terraced cultivation in Sikkim. Most of the cultivation practices in hills are along the slope which results in severe soil and water erosion leading to
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nutrient hunger in soil in the region. Rice and maize are the major cereal crops. Pulses and oil seeds are also cultivated in this region. The common crops and crop sequences vary with the different climatic zones (Table 1). Crop residue production from rice, maize, pulses and oilseeds was 8047.02, 350.32, 166.66 and 332.10 thousand tons during year 1997-98 in the North East region (excluding Sikkim) (Bujarbaruah, 2004). The figure for Sikkim was 35.17, 132.36, 10.59 and 9.89 thousand tons, respectively for the year 2003 – 04. Fodder cultivation as such is not practiced in this region. Livestock rearers follow the cut and carry methods of feeding their livestock.
Types of forest present in different states are presented in Table 2. Forest covered in north east region is 14036.7 thousand ha which corresponds to 54.48% of total geographical area (Table 4). Forest cover as percentage of geographical area of the states when synchronized in descending order it comes as follows: Mizoram > Manipur > Arunachal Pradesh > Tripura > Nagaland > Meghalaya > Assam > Sikkim.
The protected and reserved forest areas in the region are 4898.26 and 1298.16 thousand ha, respectively which corresponds to 34.89 and 9.25% of total forest cover. Rest 7840.27 thousand ha are designated as unclassified area corresponds to 55.86% of total forest cover, useful for animal husbandry. Unclassified areas as percentage of total forest cover of states when considered in descending order it comes as follows: Nagaland > Meghalaya > Arunachal Pradesh > Manipur > Tripura > Mizoram > Assam > Sikkim. Perusal of Table 4 and 5 indicated that Sikkim and Assam is having comparatively lesser area under cover forest and these states have been taken suitable measures for protection of forest in the form of Reserved and Protected areas. On the other hand, Mizoram has also been taken suitable measures to protect the forest though it is having more covered areas as percent of its geographical land.
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Table 1. Agro-climatic zones and their crop sequences in northeastern region |
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Particulars |
Climatic Zones |
Height from sea level (m) |
Crop / crop sequences |
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Zone – I |
Alpine |
More than 3500 |
Pasture |
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Zone – II |
Temperate and Sub-alpine |
1500 – 3500 |
Potato-rice, rice mono-cropping and vegetable |
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Zone – III |
Sub-tropical hill |
1000 – 1500 |
Rice and maize mono-cropping, maize + ragi
mixed, ginger and turmeric |
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Zone – IV |
Sub-tropical plain |
400 – 1000 |
Rice and maize mono-cropping, ginger and
turmeric, rice-rice (irrigated condition) |
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Zone – V |
Mild tropical hill |
200 – 800 |
Rice and maize mono-cropping |
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Zone – VI |
Mild tropical plain |
0 – 200 |
Rice-rice (low land), jute / rice / sweet potato
mono-cropping |
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146
Dairy Year Book 2008 |
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