Entrepreneurs rue dumping of chicken legs by USA
The State’s poultry sector is growing at more than 10 per cent per annum. This was revealed at an ‘Investment Meet in Poultry Sector here recently organised by the Department of Fisheries & Animal Resources Development in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Secretary GC Pati urged researchers and private sector players to widen the genetic base of the poultry sector as it is vulnerable due to dependence on one breed of broiler and layer bird, each predominantly. He also stressed the need for use of local materials to counter the challenges on account of high feed cost.
Earlier, inaugurating the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and F&ARD Pradeep Maharathy said Odisha is the first State to have given the status of agriculture to poultry. He encouraged investors to either expand or set up new poultry units to avail the enhanced subsidy ceiling of `75 lakh per case.
Additional Chief Secretary, Finance UN Behera referred to the State’s draft comprehensive Poultry Development Policy, which is now under consideration in the department. He stressed the need of more commercial layer units in the State to bridge the demand-supply gap, which is at present 20 lakh eggs per day.
He said common infrastructure like disease diagnostic laboratory should be set up in poultry-intensive areas for the benefit of poultry farmers.
The Chief Secretary complimented the Pasupati Group for undertaking zoning of farms to strengthen bio-security measures. He suggested the Fisheries & ARD Department set up a committee involving representatives from CARI, OUAT, farmers, breeders, etc., to prepare guidelines on bio-security issues and to take up inspection of the farms from time to time on the disposal of environment polluting litters.
The Chief gave a challenge to the scientists of CARI to develop AI- resistant duck variety for promotion of duckery in the State. For the benefit of consumers, he suggested setting up of hygienic poultry meat shops by availing subsidy under the schemes of the MS&ME Department.
The entrepreneurs requested that the subsidy reimbursement be made in various phases and the Agriculture Department popularise the use of litters for organic farming.
They lamented the poor response of State Bank of India, particularly in Khordha district, for not expediting the loan applications. The farmers from Balangir District wanted uninterrupted power supply to their farms.
The entrepreneurs requested the State Government to take up the issue of dumping of chicken legs by the USA and wanted the Government of India to impose Anti-Dumping Duty as a counter measure, without which the domestic poultry sector would suffer a huge setback.