The livestock and Milking Competitions have proved to be a steady and significant platform for animal rearers especially in bringing massive awareness among people in general and animal rearers in particular, said Punjab Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike on Sunday.
He said that in order to promote dairy farming and animal husbandry in the state, Punjab Government has organised the block, district and national levels livestock and milking competitions incurring `26.25 crore.
Animal husbandry department has been also allocated a prize money of `14.34 crore to be awarded to the winners. These organised competitions had been successfully influencing farmers besides raising numbers and demand of high quality breeds of animals in the state, said he.
The Minister said that in an era of competition, it is mandatory that the cattle farmers are professionally qualified and well acquainted with the hi-tech and innovative ideas introduced in the field of animal farming. The government has chalked out an ambitious plan to encourage diversification, the dairy and animal farmers have been educated to take up this field as a lucrative trade as compared to traditional farming.
Divulging more he said that to improve the standards of the Veterinary hospitals in the State, new veterinary Polyclinics are constructed in 7 districts namely Jallandhar, Kapurthla, Fatehgarh Sahib, SAS Nagar Mohali, ludhiana, Tarantarn and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar under Rural Development Infrastructure Scheme. Besides this, the task of constructing the buildings of 42 Tehsil level, 62 block level and 110 other buildings, veterinary hospitals have also been taken up, said he.
Horses and dogs breeding have also been another attractive and lucrative business with the youth. To make the youth aware about the modernized and scientific techniques, the Animal Husbandry department was also imparting vocational training in all districts of the state. The State Government was committed to provide all facilities and services relating to animal husbandry at the doorsteps of the animal farmers, added the Minister.