April 20, 2011

India sets meat, poultry processing cooperation with the Netherlands

India has sent a delegation to the Netherlands to the Product Boards Livestock, Meat and Eggs (PVE), to understand the Dutch processes relating to meat and poultry processing.

The delegation is led by the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Vice-Chairman of National Meat Poultry Processing Board, Shri Ajit Kumar.

National Meat & Poultry Processing Board (NMPPB), the first of its kind in the country, has been set up to cater to the expanding needs of the Indian Meat & Poultry sector and to ensure that the country becomes a global leader in production, consumption and export of safe, hygienic and quality meat products.

NMPPB, as part of its mandate, offers consultancy/technical assistance to the urban local bodies for up gradation of their slaughter houses/abattoirs and improving the working environment of the Meat shops.

The Board has a Consultancy Division to assist the local bodies in modernisation of abattoirs & assist in preparing Detail project Reports as well as supervision & implementation also. It will help the local bodies to modernise abattoirs in our state. NMPPB works as a Central/National hub to address issues related to Meat and poultry processing sector. It is helping the industry to establish infrastructure for backward and forward linkages for traceability of meat/poultry processing sector of India.

The Product Boards Livestock, Meat and Eggs (PVE), the Netherlands has shown its keen interest in collaborating with NMPPB and have even sent their concept programme for visit to their country. The Dutch agriculture industry features a unique system of representation. There are private law organisations for each professional group and vertical public law organisations, the product boards. In the livestock, meat and egg sectors there are two such organisations:

The Product Board Livestock and Meat (PVV) and the Product Board Poultry and Eggs (PPE). There is a joint secretariat for the Product Boards Livestock, Meat and Eggs (PVE). It prepares policy and implements it on behalf of the sector concerned.

The visit of the delegation will help NMPPB to build understanding of complex, cross boundary problems pertaining to meat and poultry processing through shared information on the subjects like traceability issue in the meat and live stock, advanced knowledge of slaughter lines of Buffalo and Goat, Quality Issues in Meat & Poultry, development and rearing of Meat purpose breeds of buffalo, sheep, goat and Pig.

India also needs the expertise in greening of abattoir as the meat and poultry industry causing socio environmental problem in the country. Netherland is known for expert country where there is no socio environmental problem though it is one of the top countries in meat and poultry production. It would provide a platform to build a richer understanding of the values at stake by enabling us to articulate and discuss them and hence enable us to perk up the Indian meat and poultry processing scenario.