India’s livestock economy is witnessing rapid growth, but the expansion is taking place against a worrying structural trend: the area under fodder cultivation has declined sharply even as demand for livestock products continues to rise.
According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) Comprehensive Assessment of Feed and Fodder Resources for Increased Livestock Production in India, the area under fodder cultivation declined from 8.30 million hectares in 2018 to 6.39 million hectares in 2024, a reduction of around 23% in six years. Fodder cultivation now accounts for less than 5% of the country’s gross cropped area.
The contraction in fodder acreage is particularly significant because India’s livestock sector has expanded rapidly during the same period. The sector recorded a compound annual growth rate of 12.77% between 2013-14 and 2023-24, significantly outpacing the crop sector. Livestock contributed more than 31% of agricultural GVA and around 5.5% of national GVA in 2023-24.
Milk output rises despite shrinking fodder base
The scale of the livestock expansion is evident from production data. The assessment says that India’s milk production increased from 146.3 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 247.9 million tonnes in 2024-25. During the same period, egg production nearly doubled from 78.48 billion to 149.1 billion eggs, while meat production increased from 6.69 million tonnes to 10.5 million tonnes. Fish production also rose substantially.
This creates a growing requirement for nutritionally adequate feed. The ICAR assessment notes that demand for feed resources, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, is expected to increase rapidly for dairy cows and buffaloes, commercial poultry and aquaculture. The challenge is that expanding fodder cultivation is becoming increasingly difficult because agricultural land is also required for food grains, commercial crops and other uses.
The report points to intense competition for land and water as a major constraint on increasing green fodder availability. Fodder acreage, tree cover and common property resources have been shrinking, while the productivity of natural pastures and grasslands has also declined because of higher grazing pressure and inadequate management.
Productivity gains offer some relief
The decline in fodder acreage has not translated into an equivalent decline in fodder output. According to the assessment, the introduction of high-yielding and multi-cut fodder varieties, combined with improved agronomic management, has substantially increased fodder productivity and compensated to some extent for the reduction in cultivated area.
However, ICAR suggests that simply depending on productivity gains may not be enough as livestock production continues to expand.
The report identifies green fodder as particularly important for dairy production because it provides essential nutrients, is relatively economical and supports the health and productive life of ruminants. But green fodder availability remains seasonal and is increasingly constrained by competition for land and water.
Changing dairy structure adds to feed pressure
The composition of India’s livestock population is also changing in ways that have implications for feed demand. The number of female crossbred cattle increased by 82.1% between 2007 and 2019, while female indigenous cattle increased by 10%. At the same time, male cattle numbers declined sharply. A similar pattern was seen in buffaloes, with female numbers rising 17.3% while male buffalo numbers fell 52.6%.
ICAR interprets these changes as evidence of a gradual shift from traditional draft-oriented livestock keeping towards milk-oriented dairy production. This transition towards production and semi commercial systems has direct implications for the country's overall feed demand because productive animals require higher quality and nutritionally balanced feed.
Commercial poultry is undergoing an even more pronounced transformation. Total poultry numbers increased by 31.2% between the 2012 and 2019 livestock censuses, while commercial poultry increased by around 50%. The report notes that commercial birds depend heavily on scientifically formulated, nutrient-dense compound feed.
More production from less land
The emerging picture is therefore not simply one of a fodder shortage. It is a transition towards a livestock sector that must generate more milk, meat and eggs from increasingly constrained feed and land resources.
The ICAR report argues that India needs to improve both the availability of feed resources and their utilisation efficiency. Its recommendations include expanding the feed resource base through agro-industrial by-products, improving the nutritive value of crop residues, promoting drought-resistant fodder varieties and strengthening green-fodder supply chains.
Better management of common property resources is another priority, particularly for livestock systems that depend on grazing. The report also calls for region specific feeding strategies because feed resources, livestock systems and feeding practices vary considerably across India's agro-climatic regions.
The larger policy challenge is to reconcile competing demands on agricultural land. Expanding fodder acreage at the expense of food or commercial crops is difficult, while allowing fodder land and common grazing resources to continue shrinking could constrain livestock productivity.
ICAR therefore stresses the need for a broader approach based on higher fodder productivity, better utilisation of crop residues, alternative feed resources and more efficient livestock production. With demand for animal-source foods expected to increase, the ability to produce more livestock output from a constrained feed base could become increasingly important for India’s agricultural economy.