An Analysis of Constraints Faced by Gaushalas in Haryana

Abstract

Cow is venerated by more than 70 per cent of the population of our country. Although the total cattle population of the country is dominated by indigenous cattle but the population of crossbred cattle has increased significantly. There is also another problem of large number of stray cattle in the country and their number is still increasing. They need to be managed. Gaushalas are considered to be a good alternative to manage the ever increasing stray cattle population. Since Gaushalas are supported by charity and have to take care of unproductive animals, they face various constraints in managing these uneconomical cattle. Thus a study was conducted to identify and prioritize the constraints faced by Gaushalas in Haryana. A detailed questionnaire in respect to various aspects of housing, feeding, breeding, marketing, institutional, labour, waste disposal and animal health constraints were enlisted and Gaushalas’ committee members were asked to rank each constraint which were later analyzed through Garret’s ranking method. The major overall constraints found in the study area were lack of green fodder (71.40), high cost of concentrates (67.44), irregular government grants (62.95), lack of space (62.55) and inadequate market information (62.10).