Significant achievements of the livestock sector in the last decade
The Department of Livestock under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is one of the service providers and regulatory agencies of the livestock sector in Bangladesh. The services of the Department of Livestock extend to the farm yard to ensure safe supply of animal feed.

Since its inception, the Department of Livestock has been working successfully in the fields of livestock-poultry disease control and cure, livestock productivity enhancement, entrepreneurship creation and skill development, animal nutrition development, value chain and market management of livestock products. The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of Livestock i.e. milk, meat and egg production has increased significantly in the last decade. The significant steps and achievements of the government in the last decade in the livestock sector are as follows:

• In 2020-21 the GDP growth rate in livestock sub-sector increased to 3.80 percent and contribution of livestock sector to agricultural GDP increased to 13.10 percent. About 20 percent of people are directly involved in this sector and 50 percent indirectly.
• Milk production: To ensure sustainable production of milk, far-reaching initiatives have been taken to improve cattle breeds, improve market management of milk and milk products, ensure quality control and availability, and promote milk drinking habits.

Milk production in FY 2020-21 was 119.85 lakh metric tonnes, which is a 4-fold increase compared to FY 2010-2011, increasing per capita availability to 193.38 ml/day. Expansion of artificial insemination technology, breed development and productivity enhancement and numerical growth of dairy stock have been key drivers in increasing milk production in the past decade.

• Meat Production: Continued investment and commercialization in the poultry sector has taken place in the context of government policy support. In the past few years, the commercial enterprise of livestock fattening has been greatly expanded as a direct result of curbing the illegal trade in livestock. As a result, Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in meat production. Meat production has increased 4.25 times in the last decade to 84.40 lakh metric tonnes in FY 2020-21 and per capita availability stands at 136.18 g/day

• Egg production: High growth in egg production has been achieved due to development of climatically suited layer poultry breeds in the country, establishment of grand parent stock and parent stock farms, expansion of commercial farms and investment in quality poultry feed production. The production of eggs in FY 2020-21 was 2057.64 crores, which is a 3.4 times increase over the production of FY 2010-2011 (607.85 crores) and the present per capita availability of eggs has increased to 121.18 t/year.

• The country is now self-sufficient in meat and egg production, with the continuation of production of animal products over the past decade. By fulfilling the demand of meat in the country hundred percent, the opportunity to export abroad has been created.
• In the past the sacrificial animal market was import dependent. As a result of the implementation of various initiatives taken by the government, livestock nutrition has increased at a significant rate.

In the last 4 (four) years, it has been possible to meet the demand for sacrificial animals by the cattle produced in the country. On the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha/2021, 1.19 crores of cattle were ready for sacrifice and 0.91 crores were sacrificed. Statistically there was a surplus of about 28 lakh sacrificial cattle and about Rs 46430.05 crore was traded in the sacrificial animal market. The bulk of the money transacted has been transferred from the rich to the marginalized.

• As a part of breed improvement and artificial insemination programs, the volume of cattle semen production was 25.84 lakh doses in FY 2010-11, which increased to 44.41 lakh doses in FY 2020-21. In order to increase the productivity of cattle, 43.65 lakh cows have been artificially inseminated through 4,694 artificial insemination sub-centres/points across the country during the financial year 2020-21.
• 24 quarantine stations have been set up at air, land and sea ports of the country to prevent transboundary animal diseases.

• 2 Veterinary Colleges and 5 Livestock Diploma Institutes have been set up as part of Human Resource Development Programme.
• Accredited and ISO certified Quality Control Laboratory has been set up for the first time in the country to control the quality of animal products and export them abroad.
• Since 1958, about 2 lakh cattle have died in the north-eastern region of the country due to the outbreak of a terrible disease called Rinderpest.

In order to eradicate the disease in the last few decades, Bangladesh was declared rinderpest free by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in 2010 as a result of rinderpest vaccination in cattle.
• 09 Proven Bulls have been produced in a completely scientific manner to increase the productivity of cattle. Artificial insemination program is currently being carried out by Proven Bull's Simen, resulting in an increase in the number of high milk and meat producing cows in the country.

• In the last one decade, a total of about 92 lakh unemployed youth, young women, distressed women, landless and marginal farmers have been provided self-employment opportunities by imparting training in cattle and poultry rearing by the Directorate of Livestock.
• As a part of digitization, Livestock Directorate farmers are getting advice for any kind of problems including livestock rearing, medical services by sending SMS toll free 16358 from any mobile phone.

• As part of simplification of services, Livestock Department poultry and dairy farm registration and renewal and NOC issuance process for import of animal feed and medicines has been digitized.