Government to Launch 'E-Pashu Haat' Portal for Livestock

To encourage more farmers and entrepreneurs to take up dairy business, the government will this week launch an online portal called 'e-pashu haat' where one can buy/sell livestock, frozen semen and embryos. Presently, there is no organised market for livestock.

"If a farmer from Rajasthan wants to buy high milk producing cattle breed 'Gir' from Gujarat, how will he buy? So, we have developed an online portal to facilitate both seller and buyers," a senior Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.

The electronic market will help farmers not only buy/sell live cows/buffaloes but also frozen semen and embryos of livestock, the official said.

The website 'wwww.epashuhaat.gov.in' will provide all details of each livestock along with photos as well as information on feed and fodder availability. It will also provide facilities to transport livestock after the purchase.

The certified livestock will be sold through e-market but private bodies will also be allowed to sell/buy non-certified livestocks, the official added.

There will be free login to the website, but one need to register for trade transaction.

Stating that government is giving a thrust on dairy sector to double farmers income by 2022, the official said there is a need to increase productivity of animals as well as number of livestock in the country to achieve this target.

The first step is to facilitate a market for livestock for those farmers keen to taken up dairy as a supplementary business, he added.

The e-market for livestock is being developed as part of the government's 'National Mission on Bovine Productivity' for which Rs. 825 crores of funds have been allocated.