Abstract

Livestock plays a major part in national agriculture. Livestock products like meat, milk, skins, draft power and manure form about 15 percent of GDP. The ruminant population of the country has been estimated at 17726214 heads. Generally, mountain households keep more livestock than hills and terai households. Yak, Chauriesa and Lulu cattle are reared at high altitudes (3000-5000 meters above sea level). Cattle, buffaloes and goats are the main livestock in the mid hills and terai. Bhyanlung, Baruwal, Kage and Lampuchhre are main indigenous breeds of sheep, which are found in High Mountain, mid hills, lower mid hills and terai respectively. Similarly, Chyangra, Sinhal, khari and terai are main indigenous breeds of goats of Nepal.  The Chyangra are popular in High Mountain, Sinhal are in mid hills and high mountan, Khari goats are in lower mid hills and terai goats are found in terai (below 300 meters). The Jamunapari, Beetal and Barberi breeds of goats have been used during the past 20-25 years to cross with local Khari and Terai goats to improve the meat production

Introduction

Livestock plays a major part in the national agriculture. The livestock sector produces on an average 40 percent of the country's gross domestic production (GDP) and about half of exports. Agricultural production and related activities provide employment for more than 80 percent of the national labour force (APP, 1995).

The area under crops in Nepal is estimated at 29,68,000 ha, forests at 9,98,000 ha, and under shrub land/degraded forests and grassland at 15,59,000 and 17,45,000 ha respectively (MOAC, 2000). Rice is the dominant crop occupying some 52 percent of the cultivated area, followed by maize (19.5%), wheat (15%) and millet / barley (6%). Various cash crops mainly potatoes, sugar cane, pulses and oilseeds are planted in remaining cultivated land.

Livestock products like meat, milk, skins, draft power and manure form about 15 percent of GDP. Additionally livestock is an integral part of the agricultural production system, providing almost all the draft power used in cultivation, and most of the fertility requirement through dung. Oxen and male buffaloes are also widely used in hauling and transporting agricultural inputs and products. In the hills and mountains, mules, yaks and sheep make an important contribution as pack animals where they contribute about 20 percent of the household cash income although off-farm employment also forms an important part of the cash income. Livestock products are exported mainly to India and European countries.

Livestock Distribution

The estimates of livestock distribution by region based on the LRMP farm survey are given in Table 1. 

Table 1: Ruminant livestock population of Nepal

Source: MOAC, 2000

Livestock Ownership Patterns

All rural households keep several types of livestock. The number and type of livestock kept by a household depend upon such factors as amount of wealth, size of land holding, ethnic group, agro ecological zone and access to markets. Average livestock ownership per household by physiographic region is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Average livestock ownership per household

Source: LMP, 1992

In general mountain households keep more livestock than the households of the hills or Terai. Terai households have more cattle to produce more draught bullocks for cultivation.  Buffaloes are also used for cultivation in Terai.

Livestock Production System

Farmers keep livestock composed of several species.  Livestock are reared for the production of milk, meat and eggs, fibre, hides/ skins, manure (fertilizer, fuel), storage of wealth, draught power, transportation, cash and barter income, for hospitality, and for festivals.

The main ruminant livestock production system is given by species. However, households within the same agro ecological zone generally own several species of livestock at the same time.

Yak

Yak occupies an ecological niche at high altitudes (3000-5000 m) where plant growth is limited by the generally cold temperatures and short growing season. The production parameters are as follows: adult live weight for males and females at 325 and 220 kg respectively; age at first calving 4.3 years. Productive life of females is 10-12 years with gestation period of 254 days at calving interval of 690 days. Calf birth weight is at 9.2 kg. Yak milk constitutes 5.9-8.8 % fat, lactation length 167 days and lactation yields 220 kg.

The main products from yak are milk, butter, hard dry cheese, meat, hide, hair and chauries.

Chauries

Chauries are the hybrid offsprings of yak– cattle crosses. The average live weight of the hybrid is slightly heavier than the parents.  Chauries with yak move on an annual cycle to grazing lands between 3000-4500 meters. Adult live weights: males 365 kg, females 230 kg, age at first calving 35.6 months. Gestation period 270 days, calving interval 425 days, lactation length 260-305 days and lactation yields 1300-1690 kg. The main products from chauries are milk, butter, hard dry cheese, meat, leather, hair, transportation, draught and chauries.

Cattle

The type of cattle found in Nepal varies with agro ecological zone. The indigenous breed types are zebu (Bos indicus). Lulu cattle are found in the high mountains. They are smaller compared to mid hill cattle. Adult bulls and adult cows weigh at 150-200 kg and 100-120 kg respectively. The mid hill cattle are larger than the high mountains type with adult weights for bull at 200-250 kg and for female at 120-160 kg. The Terai cattle are largest and adult body weight is for bull at 300-350 kg and for cow at 225-275 kg. The cattle production system varies according to agro ecological zone.

Trans Himalaya and High Mountains

The cattle move up to alpine pastures at about 2800 – 3500 meters during the summer and back down to about 1300 – 2000 meters for winter. The female cattle are mated to both cattle bulls to produce calves and to yak bulls to produce urang chauries.

The bulls are also mated to female naks to produce domjo chauries. Female cattle are kept with the female naks and female chauries, which are fed and managed in a similar way. However, the cattle do not go up to such high summer pastures as yak / nak and chauries.  The cattle also descend much lower in winter than their Yak/Nak and Chauri counterparts.

Middle Mountains

Cattle, buffaloes and goats are the main livestock for a farm household in the mid hills. The lactating cattle and buffaloes that are relatively good milk producers, and other animals such as working bullocks are fed more than the cattle, chauries and yaks in high mountains. However, there is a similar shortage of feed during the winter and before onset of the monsoon. The feeding system for cattle and buffaloes in he mid hill differs between districts.

The forage resources in the mid hills generally include: grazing in the forests, or on harvested crop stubbles and on fallow land; crop residues from paddy, maize, millet, wheat, mustard, soybean, vegetables; grass gathered from terraces and forests; fodder from tree fodder which are either planted or from forest.

Cattle are generally grazed and only lactating buffaloes and improved cattle are stall-fed. Female calves are reared as herd replacements while male calves are either reared for replacement draught oxen or neglected.

Terai and Siwalik

Cattle, buffalo and goats are the main grazing livestock for a farm household in the Terai. There is less grazing land and forest in terai. So more crop residues are fed and amount of stall-feeding to grazing is relatively more in the terai than in the mid hills. Although, there is a similar shortage of feed during the winter and before the onset of the monsoon, most of the productive and draught livestock are well looked after and others are maintained simply on the nutrients available from grazing.

The forage resource in the terai generally includes: grazing on roadsides, uncultivated land, forest, on cultivated land after harvest and on fallow land. Cattle are grazed generally but also stall-fed on crop residues and forage crops. Lactating buffaloes and improved cattle whose milk is sold are given supplementary concentrates.

Buffaloes are also used for ploughing in the terai whereas they are hardly used for that purpose in the mid hills. The main products from cattle are draught bullocks, manure and milk in all agro ecological zones, and in addition chauries in the high mountains. On the terai, cattle and buffaloes are used for threshing by trampling.

Buffalo

The indigenous buffalo in Nepal is believed to have derived from the Indian water Buffalo with an influence from swamp buffalo in the same area. It has long and slightly curved horns; they are usually grey black and rarely brown in colour, although there are differences identified between mountain, hill and terai types. There are also crossbreds with murrah from India as a result of direct importation from India under buffalo up-gradation program.

The production systems for buffaloes are very similar to the production systems for cattle. In the upper mid hills, however, where the livestock are migrate in an annual cycle according to grazing availability at different altitudes, the buffalo also move with the cattle up to alpine pastures for the summer and back down again for the winter. Female buffalo calves receive more care than males. Female calves are given access to 1-2 teats for 2-3 months and 1 teat thereafter until they are weaned.

There is a trend that the availability of grazing in the upper mid hills is becoming less. This is because the trans-human movements that have extended to lower elevations in the mid hills are taking up more intensive cultivation. The problem is further compounded as more male and non-lactating female buffaloes are taken up to higher elevations in the summer than ever before.

Both producers and consumers prefer buffalo milk to cattle milk, as it contains high amounts of butter fat. This preference has resulted in the lactating buffaloes in the farm household being fed better than the lactating cattle. Therefore, buffaloes are kept mainly for milk, milk products, meat and hides.

Sheep

There are four main indigenous breeds of sheep such as Bhanlung, Baruawal, Kage and Lampuchhre. Bhanglung sheep are found in the trans Himalaya and High Mountains above 2500 meters. Baruwal sheep are found both in the high mountains and in the mid hills, about 1500-2500 meters. Kage sheep are found in the lower mid hills, about 300-1500 meters. Lampuchhre sheep (meat type) are mainly reared in the terai areas below 300 meters. There are also crossbreeds in the mid hills. The sheep production system also differs between agro ecological zones.

Trans himalaya and high mountains

Bhanglung sheep are found in the trans himalaya region and Baruwal sheep are found in the east and west high mountain. In this regions, the sheep are part of the flocks and herds made up of yaks, chauries, cattle, sheep, goats and horses, which are managed together and which are moved in all annual cycle according to grazing availability at different altitudes.

Middle Mountains

Baruwal sheep are found both in the high mountains and in the upper Middle Mountains. They are migratory and follow annual movements according to the availability of grazing.

The seasonal transhumant movements are longer in the west high mountains than in the east, and in the winter the animals descend beyond and lower than the villages of the owners, down to the lower mid hills. In the east, the movement is shorter than in the west and the herds and flocks tend to return to the owners’ villages for the winter instead of continuing to lower elevations. Baruwal sheep are also used as pack animals, particularly in the high mountains and upper mid hills of the western, mid western and far western regions.

Terai and Siwalik

The Kage sheep of the lower mid hills and the Lampuchhre sheep in the terai are stationary flocks and they graze during the day and flocked in at night. In the mid hills, the sheep are also grazed on the terraces after crop harvests and housed at night in temporary shelters on the terraces. In this way terraces receive the manure from the sheep.

The Polwarth, Rambouillet and Border Leicester have been used for the past ten years to cross with the Kage sheep to improve its annual wool and meat production. The Kage sheep in the lower mid hills are raised under a sedentary system of management. Sheep are kept mainly for manure, wool, meat, and as pack animals. The relative importance of these products differs between the agro ecological zones. Sheep and goats as pack animals are important in the west high mountains. The governments breeding programs have been directed towards increasing the annual yield and apparel quality of the wool, and to a lesser extent the yield of meat.

Sheep wool is surplus to domestic requirements.  Bhanglung wool from the trans Himalaya and high mountains area, together with wool from Tibet, is brought down to the mid hills by pack animals where it is used by the carpet industry.

Goats

There are four main indigenous breeds of goats making up the goat population of Nepal. They are Chyangra, Sinhal, Khari and terai type crossed with Jamunapari and Barberi. The four breeds correspond to altitude and agro ecological zones. The Chyangra goats are found together with the Bhanglung sheep in the trans himalaya and high mountains above 2500 meters. Sinhal goats are found together with Baruwal sheep both in the high mountains and in the mid hills, about 1500-2500 meters. Khari goats are found in the lower mid hills, about 300-1500 meters. Terai type goats crossed with the Indian Jamunapari and Barberi breeds are found in the terai, below 300 meters. There are also crossbreds in the mid hills. These are crosses of the Sinhal and Khari goats mainly with imported Jamunapari and Barberi breeds. The crossbred goats are found on government farms and in private flocks in their immediate vicinity. Sheep and cattle goat production system also differ between agro ecological zones.

Trans Himalya and High Mountains

Chyangra goats and bhanglung sheep are found together in the trans Himalaya region and sinhal goats and baruwal sheep are found together in the west and east high mountains. In the Trans Himalaya and west and east high mountains and Himalaya, the goats are part of the flocks and herds made up of yaks, chauries, cattle, sheep, goats and horses which are managed together and moved in an annual cycle according to grazing availability at different altitudes. The change in altitude during the cycle varies between species and districts. The goats and sheep move together.

Middle Mountains

Sinhal goats are found together with baruwal sheep both in the high mountains and in the upper middle mountains, in the range 1500-2500 meters. Khari goats are found in the lower middle mountains in the range 300-1500 meters. Sinhal goats are migratory and follow annual movements according to the availability of grazing. Khari goats are stationary. Sinhal goats and baruwal sheep are used as pack animals, particularly in the high mountains and upper mid hills of western, mid western and far western regions. Pack sheep and goats would be fed grazing and salt but no supplementary feeds.

Terai and Siwalik

The terai-crossbred goats (Jamunapari and Barberi cross indigenous) are stationary flocks. They graze during the day and are housed at night. The goat house floors are raised salts, which facilitates manure collection. There is variation between districts regarding feeding the goats at night. In some parts of terai tree fodder is collected from the forest for night feeding. Male goats are sold entire at 2-6 months old for breeding, or castrated and sold at 1 months old for slaughter. Lactating goats are given supplementary rice husks, rice bran, maize and salt. Goat are not milked and shorn.

The Jamunapari, Beetal and Barberi breeds of goats have been used during the past 20-25 years to cross with the lower mid hills Khari goats and terai goats to improve meat production. Goats are kept mainly for manure, meat, and hair and as pack animals. The relative importance of these products differs between the agro ecological zones. Goats and sheep as pack animals are important in the west high mountains. The governments breeding programs have been directed towards increasing the annual yield of meat. All ethnic groups eat goat meat. The fine hair (pashmina cashmere) from Chyangra goats that are surplus to domestic requirements is sold to collectors. The coarse hair from Chyangra and Sinhal goats is used domestically. Skins are sold to collectors.

References

Agriculture Prospective Plan (1995), p. 12-17

MOAC, (2000), Statictical Information on Nepalese Agricylture, Agri Business Promotion and Statistical Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Sinha Darbar, Kathmandu, Nepal

Livestock Master Plan (1992), Volume III, Final Report. P. 217-245