Dharwad: Minister for Animal Husbandry and Sericulture A Manju has said that a new programme of distributing Giriraj and desi chicken to more than 5,000 farmers in every taluk to make them financially empowered would be launched shortly.
Inaugurating a training centre at KMF Regional Centre located at Rayapur near Dharwad, he said successive drought, labour and other problems had been troubling the farmers and they had lost hopes on agriculture.
To support them in times of such crisis, there is a need to expose them to allied activities such as poultry and sheep rearing, he said.
Already, Pashu Bhagya scheme has been launched, and in the next level, 5,000 families in every taluk would be given chicken, he added.
Manju said that the population of non-vegetarians had increased in the last couple of years and as per a survey by the Health Department. “Each person consumes 11 kg meat every year. However, there is only 2.89 kg meat production and there is a deficit of 8 kg. Even unemployed youths can take up poultry farming and become self-reliant,” he added.
The minister further said that the farmers were rearing sheep and chicken despite hardships but private companies were purchasing them at throw away prices and the rearers were getting cheated. To check this, the government will shortly bring in a new policy, he said.
Dharwad Zilla Panchayat President Chaitra Shirur presided over.
