Feeds and feeding situation in Nepal

• In general crop residues, farm weeds and forest supplies make up the diet of the livestock in Nepal.
• Agricultural lands contribute about 60% of the total requirements mainly in the form of low-quality crop residues, and forest grazing lands contribute the remaining 40%.
• In totality, the Nepalese livestock are under fed at lease by about one-third but has been reduced to 17-56 % after 2018.
• The land use pattern in Nepal shows that there is about 1.7 million hectares of grassland, 3.9 million hectares of agricultural lands, 4.3 million hectares forest and 1.6 million hectares of shrub lands and degraded forests.
• It has been estimated that about 50% of the total range/ grasslands are found in the high mountains, 20% in the high hills, 16.7% in the mid hills, and 4% in the siwaliks and Terai.
• The ruminants such as cattle and buffalo are kept either on grazing, and/or crop residue in both Terai and hills of the country.
• Large flock of goats, sheep and herds of cattle, yak and chauries are kept under migratory system in the mountain.
• The following are the major feed resources in Nepal:

• The non-ruminants constitute pigs, poultry, and equines ( horses/ mules/ asses).
• Only 12 % and 26% of cattle and buffalo, respectively, produce milk.
• Available statistics shows that about 22% cattle and 6% buffaloes are unproductive in Nepal ( MOAD, 2012).
• The disposal of unproductive cattle is difficult, mainly because of religious beliefs.
• Moreover, changes in climatic pattern may directly affect in managing feed through naturally available grasses or from the crop residues. Besides quality, aspects changes can directly affect quality of feed available through crops or from the grazing systems.
• Nepalese agricultural system is crop-livestock integrated in nature.
• About 2/5th of the total digestible nutrients (TDN) in terms of % supply are supported by crop residues followed by forest land ( 1/3^rd of the total supply).
• Grazing land supports about 1/8^th of the total % supply, yet there is a gross deficit of 1/3^rd of the TDN requirements to feed ruminants in general.