Socio-Economic Status and Perceptions of Kosali Cattle Keepers and Constraints to Cattle Production in Central Plain Region of Chhattisgarh State

Abstract

The present study was conducted to find out the socio-economic status and constraints to cattle production in Central Plain Region of Chhattisgarh state. Total 800 respondents from three districts of the region were selected. Sex, age, family size, education, land and livestock holding, annual income, occupation and herd size factors were considered to study the socio-economic status. It was observed that majority (95.42%) of the respondents had male headed ownership, more than 50 per cent in above 30 years of age category. The average family size observed was 6.21 persons. It was found that only 66.56 per cent of respondents were literate. The percent of landless, sub-marginal and marginal farmers is more than 50% and have less than 0.5 hectare land. Most of the respondents (47%) found in the category of annual income less than rupees 20000. The main profession of livestock owners was agriculture (68.44%) followed by agriculture and some other small work. Most of the respondents had small herd size.  Shrinkage of grazing land, scarcity of green fodder and concentrate and poor management were the major constraints to cattle or livestock productivity.