Livestock sector contributes 25% to the agriculture sector and 6% to its GDP, playing a crucial role in rural economy. Diagnostics and vaccines are important to prevent the economic losses (e.g. loss due to FMD is more than Rs 5,000 crore / year) which will be of great economic gain for farming community. Information technology for developing data bases for bio-informatics of genetic pool in buffalo for exploiting latest Biotechnology tools are essential for economic gain, livelihood programme in the country and to create knowledge bank in livestock sector for generating wealth.
Bioinformatics have the potential in the development programme and policy frame in India. Our country is number one milk producing (82 MT 2002) country in the world, which is achieved with efforts of farmers, organized herd, dairy cooperatives and veterinarians in the country.
Distribution of livestock in much more equitable than that of level - the bottom 60% of rural households own 65% of all the milch animals. Buffalo is a main milk producing species in the country. There are eight major breeds of buffaloes, which are well adapted to the local agro-climatic conditions. Out of total population 80% are non-descript.
Cross breeding programme to upgrade the cattle could also increase the probability of loss of valuable genetic resources. Thus, buffalo genetic diversity and less characterized breeds could be completely lost which means losing the gene poll of our own resource available in nature. Hence, there is need for genetic characterization. There were significant advances in molecular biology and genetic variability in DNA sequences. These includes RF2P, DNA fingerprint, RAPDS, AF2P, Micro-satellite Polymorphism etc. Genome analysis therefore gains low economic importance, in addition to Human Genome, focussing the use of disease prevention and therapy use.
Having economic gain and food safety chain, to the precise, will open to door to IT and Bio-informatics Technology (BT) and rural health care in network with livestock production system. Genomics, Bio-informatics, vaccines and diagnostics development using at farmer''s doorstep will give a way in global econo-mic scenario to generate employment and wealth in rural India.