September 20, 2010

India foresees 5%-13% growth in poultry sector

A growth of 5%-7% in egg-laying birds and 12%-13% in meat-yielding birds has been predicted for India this year, said Joint Commissioner (Poultry) P.K. Shukla, Thursday (Sep 16).

Dr Shukla, from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, said the projection was the outcome of a preliminary analysis of the census data conducted by the department. The nation-wide census was conducted in 2007 and the department was getting data from every state. The census is conducted once in five years, he said.

The department is also carrying out Avian Influenza Vulnerability Mapping throughout the country, which began in 2006.

"It is an ongoing work, which is carried out in all the states in the country," he said. To a question on whether there were any reports of Avian Influenza in the Southern states, Dr Shukla said so far there have been no complaints in the region.

M.P. Nirmala, secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department, said the leftovers from a poultry farm could be used for making bio-fuel and the poultry waste should be properly disposed of as compost.

The total value of poultry sector in the country is Rs350 billion (US$7.63 billion), which accounted for 10.5% of the total value of the livestock output and 2.6% of the agricultural sector as a whole, said P. Thangaraju, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.

More than three million people depend directly or indirectly on this sector for income and employment. The poultry sector was growing at a much faster rate than any other element of the crop and livestock sector.