Chandigarh, April 7: Punjab’s livestock population has dropped by 8.5 percent over the past five years, with a fall of nearly 5.78 lakh animals since the 2019 livestock census, according to preliminary data released by the Animal Husbandry Department.
The state currently has 68,03,196 livestock, down from 73,81,540 recorded during the last census. The ongoing 21st livestock census covered data collection between October 2024 and February 2025 and is conducted every five years across India.
Cattle numbers declined by 2.32 lakh and buffaloes by 5.22 lakh, while pigs saw a reduction of 6,973. However, the population of sheep increased by nearly 1 lakh, dogs by 57,000, goats by 21,000, and horses by 5,720.
The report also indicates a sharp decline in donkeys and camels. Punjab now has just 127 donkeys and 77 camels—down from 471 and 120, respectively, in 2019. In 1977, the state counted 29,000 camels and 22,000 donkeys.
Despite the decrease in bovine numbers, milk production has not been affected. “This is because dairy farmers are increasingly preferring high-yielding breeds like Holstein Friesian, which can produce 10,000 to 12,000 litres per lactation,” said Rahul Bhandari, Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry.
Urbanisation and emigration have also contributed to the shrinking livestock base, along with outbreaks such as lumpy skin disease, which killed thousands of cattle in 2022.
In contrast to national trends, Punjab saw a rise in desi cow numbers in 2019. Officials expect similar trends with native breeds this time. “We believe the Sahiwal population has increased, but we’ll have clarity once the final report is issued by the Centre,” said Dr GS Bedi, Director, Animal Husbandry.
