Animal husbandry in India

Cow in India

Cows depicted in the decorated gopuram of the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Chennai. Bull statue located at the open hall looking into the eastern doorway of the Kalleshvara Temple.

Many farmers in India depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. In addition to supplying milk, meat, eggs, wool, their castings (dung) and hides, animals, mainly bullocks, are the major source of power for both farmers and dairies. Thus, animal husbandry plays an important role in the rural economy. The gross value of output from this sector was 8,123 billion Rupees in FY 2015–16.^[1]