Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

POULTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 

• Poultry keeping is one of the best tools available for integrated rural development and to bring about socio economic transformation of small entrepreneurs.
• No other branch of agriculture / animal husbandry has made such rapid strides in their development as poultry husbandry.

Past efforts

• Poultry raising in India dates to prehistoric times.The first major step towards poultry development in India was taken during 1939 withthe establishment of poultry research division at IVRI, Izatnagar inUttarPradesh, which developed an effective vaccine against Ranikhet disease.
• Intensive poultry development made its beginning in the early sixties after thegovernment poultry farms, particularly in Orissa, demonstrated the efficacy ofmodern poultry rearing. It gained wide popularity with extension activities ofthe then newly set up veterinary colleges under agricultural universities.
• State Animal Husbandry departments and the American Peace Corps volunteers alsohelped to popularize modern poultry production in Indian villages.

Five Year Plans and poultry development

• Even in the First Five Year Plan recognition was given to poultry as a vital tool forthe socioeconomic upliftment of a large majority in rural areas.
• A pilot project approved in 1956 had the provision to establish 56 extension centres.The scheme was assisted under the Indo-US Technical Cooperation programme.
• In the Second Plan, 5 regional farms equipped with superior stock were started alongwith 269 poultry extension centres. Training programmes were conducted forprivate poultry breeders in modern methods of poultry rearing.
• During the Third Plan, poultry farms emerged as vital commercial enterprise. Developmentof deep litter system, multiplication of exotic breeds and organisation ofinter-state poultry development projects occurred during this period. Extensioncum development centres and commercial hatcheries were set up in differentstates.
• The fourth Five Year Plan placed much emphasis on breeding better stock and popularizingthe latest scientific practices in new area. Central Government implemented asupport programme with tax reduction for income from poultry industry, specialcredit lines and insurance for poultry against loss through epidemic diseases.Egg and poultry production cum marketing centres were established. Old farmswere expanded and new farms were started.
• During the Fifth Plan attempts were made to improve the quality of inputs needed forpoultry farming and to establish proper marketing facilities.
• In the Sixth and Seventh Plan periods, all aspects of poultry industry had developed.It was aptly called the ‘Decade of Poultry’. Broiler farming emerged as a new wing.The Seventh Plan envisaged improvement in infrastructure for taking upscientific breeding in egg and broiler strains and the proposed development ofnew lines of broilers. NAFED assisted in the marketing of poultry products.
• In the eighth plan, attempts were made to establish poultry cooperatives on thepattern of Anand in the processing, storage and marketing facilities. Statelevel poultry training centres were started. A task force was set up to workout details of establishment and operation of National Poultry Development Board.
• In the Ninth Plan i t was estimated that the egg production in thecountry is about 33.6 billion numbers (2001-02) against the Ninth Plan targetof 35 billion numbers. The significant achievement in poultry development hascome from the initiatives taken up by the private sector for commercialpure-line breeding.
• For the Tenth Plan, The present system ofproduction of commercial hybrid broilers and layers has become highlysuccessful. To give a boost to export of poultry products, measures will beundertaken for the development of infrastructure like cold storage, pressuredair cargo capacity and reference laboratory for certification of health andproducts. Programmes will be formulated to improve indigenous birds and promotionof backyard poultry farming which could help employment generation as well aseconomic empowerment of poor women in rural areas. There is tremendous scopefor exporting poultry products produced from birds fed on organically producedfeed.

Other efforts

• Some efforts were made to make more attractive the unorganized sector through anumber of central and state sector schemes, notable among them being IntensivePoultry Development Project, Mass Poultry Production Programme involvingsmall/marginal farmers and agricultural labourers emanated from therecommendation of National Commission of Agriculture as a result of which 60 districts were identified in 1975 for introducing poultry production as acomponent of special scheme called SLBP. The poultry development was also givendue consideration under the area development programmes like DPAP, DDP, IRDP,ITDP, etc.
• Various poultry development institutions like Central Poultry Training Institute,Central Duck Breeding Farm, Random Sample Poultry Performance Testing Centres,Regional Feed Analytical Laboratories, etc., were established in various partsof India.The Government of India had increased the total outlay from Rs.28 millionduring the Second Plan to Rs.602 million during the Seventh Plan for the developmentof poultry. The Eighth Plan poultry development strategy includes availabilityof quality chicks, establishment of poultry cooperatives, processing marketing,storage infrastructure facilities, state level poultry training centres andNational Poultry Development Board.
• In general, poultry industry in Indiais proved to be sustainable during the last three to four decades. This wasmainly due to the long term strategy with clear objectives by the Governmentand the private sector, governmental support through incentives, adequateinstitutional framework and finally flexible regulations for the import ofessential inputs. All the inputs like chicks, feed, vaccines, etc., wereproduced and supplied by private entrepreneurs.