Union Animal Husbandry Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ has expressed his concern over low production of milk and egg in the Northeast and said steps should be taken to achieve self-sufficiency.
Addressing a conclave on ‘Dialogue for Holistic Development of Livestock Sectors in the North-East Region” held here today, he urged the state governments of the region to create a single window to facilitate the private sector’s investment and strengthen the livestock sector.
“The private industry has to be looped in for creating suitable infrastructure, and technological interventions with support from both central and state governments,” he said.
Noting the contribution of piggery to the regional economy, Singh said there are 42.4 lakh pigs in the Northeast, which was 46.42 per cent of India’s total, and it is valued at about Rs 5,000 crore. He encouraged a cluster-based approach and public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop the sector into an export hub.
Opportunities in the poultry sector were emphasised, with a focus on bridging demand-supply gaps and attracting private sector investments through PPPs, organised markets and cluster-based approaches.
Singh informed that under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Infrastructure Support, 29 projects have been approved with a total investment of Rs 240 crore which covers about 53 districts out of a total 131 districts in the region. He said the department plans to financially aid a sum of Rs 250 crore to expand dairy infrastructure, increase milk procurement capacity from 1.5 lakh liters/day to 3.5 lakh liters/day, and onboard 70,000 new farmers into the cooperative network.
At the conclave, investment intentions of Rs 700 crore were proposed from various private sectors like IB group which intends to invest approximately Rs 200 crores in Northeast for the poultry and feed sector.
The Karnataka Poultry Federation has shown the intent to invest Rs 250 crore in the region for promoting sustainable growth in the poultry sector and the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) indicated that they shall distribute egg carts to generate employment, capacity building and promote egg consumption in the states.
At the programme, Singh unveiled 15 entrepreneurship development projects under the National Livestock Mission (NLM), with a total value of Rs 10.93 crore, and four Fodder Farmer Producer Organisations. He announced a Regional Semen Production Lab and Goat Semen Bank in Khanapara, which is backed by an investment of Rs 3.37 crore.
For Meghalaya, the projects included the Intensive Cattle Development Project in Khliehtyrshi with an investment of Rs 31.86 lakh, and the Multiplier Pig Farm in Kyrdemkulai at a cost of Rs 10.23 crore.
The programme was also attended by Minister of State George Kurian, ministers of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services from North East, senior officials, industry representatives, entrepreneurs, and researchers and stakeholders.
