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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Python Farming
Why in the News?
- In the farmlands of central Thailand, thousands of pythons are raised in a warehouse for their diamond-patterned skins, which are sold to high-end European fashion houses.
- Some scientists and industry insiders believe the true value of these snakes lies in their meat.
Python Farming in Asia
- Researchers estimate that China and Vietnam alone have at least 4,000 python farms, producing several million snakes primarily for the fashion industry.
- A study published in Nature highlighted python farming as a flexible and efficient response to global food insecurity.
Benefits of Python Farming
- Pythons can survive for months without food or water and maintain their condition.
- They were fed waste chicken and wild-caught rodents, offering a more efficient feed-to-meat ratio than poultry, beef, and even crickets.
- Female pythons can lay between 50 and 100 eggs annually, leading to rapid reproduction.
Advantages of Python Meat
- Pythons offer a more efficient feed-to-meat ratio than poultry, beef, and even crickets.
- They can survive without food and water for months without losing condition.
- Python meat has a chicken-like texture and is low in saturated fats.
- It could provide a sustainable protein source with a lower environmental impact compared to traditional meat.
Challenges and Market Acceptance
- Despite the advantages, the market is limited for python meat.
- Python farmers struggle to convince people to consume snake meat, resulting in most of it being discarded or sold to fish farms.
Environmental Impact of Traditional Meat
Python Meat as an Alternative
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PYQ:[2018] How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India? |
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