The Indian Journal of Small Ruminants
Year : 2008, Volume : 14, Issue : 2
First page : ( 236) Last page : ( 242)
Print ISSN : 0971-9857.

Farmers’ management practices and economics of sheep farming in eastern semi-arid region of Rajasthan

Suresh A., Gupta D.C., Mann J.S.

Division of Transfer of Technology and Social Science, Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar, Rajasthan - 304 501.

Received:  3  January,  2008; Accepted:  23  June,  2008.

Abstract

The study analyses the management practices of sheep in eastern semi-arid zone of Rajasthan by using field level data collected from 107 sheep breeders from Tonk district. The average size of operational holding was 5.00 ha. The size of livestock holding was 18 Adult Cattle Unit with a sheep flock size of 54. Three-fourth of the farmers possessed Kheri breed of sheep (non-descript). The sheep were managed in extensive and semi-intensive feeding system and depended mostly on the common grazing land with very less supplementation of concentrate mixture. The fodder trees were important feed sources. Short-term migration of sheep was practiced by 23 per cent farmers. The mortality was 14% mainly due to enterotoxaemia and foot and mouth diseases. Thirty-eight per cent farmers depended on the public veterinary clinics for treatment purpose. The average net return per flock was nearly Rs. 25000 per year with average net return per animal of Rs. 456. The results indicate need of extension activities for spreading the adoption of improved management techniques, institutional intervention for conservation of the common grazing land and improving the veterinary services to enhance the productivity of sheep in semi-arid zones.

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Key words

Economics, Management, Rajasthan, Semi-arid, Sheep.

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