Poultry Sector Tops In Rural Farm Growth

Poultry has become the fastest growing sector of the agro-rural economy registering an annual growth of nearly 17 per cent.

Much of this growth has taken place in Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. This was indicated at an industry-scientists meet on poultry organised here yesterday by the Central Avian Research Institute.

Inaugurating the meet, agriculture minister Som Pal suggested that efforts should be made to promote poultry farming in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and the northeastern states.

He also called for strengthening quarantine facilities to prevent the introduction of new disease through imported breeding birds.

M L Madan, deputy director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said poultry development should take place simultaneously at two levels: in the backyard to supplement the income of rural people and in an organised industrial set up to enable India become globally competitive.

 

Representatives of the industry urged for the need for an insurance scheme for poultry farmers on the lines of the crop insurance scheme. They also wanted the proposed national poultry development board to be set up soon.

Experts in the field attributed the fast growth of the industry to the development of commercial breeds of egg layers and broiler birds. The Avian Research Institute alone has evolved several popular poultry breeds, including ILI-80 and CARI Gold-92 breeds of egg layers and B-77 and CARI BRO-91 broilers. It has also developed a coloured synthetic broiler.

Besides, the institute has standardised technologies for poultry products like chicken steaks, mixed chicken loaf, chicken sausages, chicken patties, fried chicken liver, egg patties and chicken gizzard pickle. Efforts are on to improve the breeds of other poultry birds like quail and guinea fowl.