Trade Performance of Livestock sector in India

Global trade in livestock products is expanding rapidly and significantly due to increase in consumer demands linked to growing educational and awareness of consumer, internationalisation of tastes and habits, developments in science and technology and improvements in communication and transportation. Sustained economic growth and rising incomes during the past two decades have been fuelling rapid growth in the demand for livestock products in India. Consequently, the livestock sector has emerged as one of the important drivers of agricultural growth and diversification in India. The 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) and the National Agricultural Policy (2000) gave much focus on livestock sector to achieve the target growth rate of 4% in the agricultural sector. The rising global demand for livestock products, various global trade negotiations and domestic reforms in India, have improved the access to international markets substantially, particularly during the post-WTO period. A deeper understanding of the dynamics of trade performance of livestock sector in India would contribute towards the development strategy of this sector.