Due to imports, thousands of crores go out of Assam for broiler feeds

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Thousands of crores of rupees go out of the state for broiler feeds; let alone broilers, eggs, fish, and potatoes.According to sources associated with the broiler business in the state, the manufacture of broiler feeds is minuscule in Assam. It makes those associated with the sector to import broiler feeds worth Rs 1,000 crore monthly. They have urged Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Atul Bora to set up some broiler feed mills in the state to meet the growing demand. The broiler business is growing fast in the state, and so is the demand for broiler feeds. Importing broiler feeds from outside the state leads to more transportation and other costs. “Around 70 percent of the total cost of livestock production in the state is due to feed and fodder costs,” a source said.

According to them, the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department has various schemes to benefit farmers. However, the growth of production in the state is quite out of sync with it. For instance, in 2011, the state farmers produced 838 million litres of milk, and it rose to 1004 million litres in 2021, registering only 2.9 percent growth in a decade. Likewise, the decadal growth of meat production in the state was 2.6 percent, and that of eggs was 2.14 percent. The state has to import eggs worth Rs 600 crore annually to meet the demand. Though the production of local fish has increased, the state still imports fish worth around Rs 500 crore a year. Potatoes worth around Rs 4,500 crore come to the state from other states annually.

Around 60 percent of onions and around 54 percent of milk come to the state from other states.

A section of local youth has come forward in the livestock sector to be self-reliant. However, in the absence of support from the department in setting up ancillary industries like broiler feed mills and fodder mills, etc., the youth suffer losses. Thus, self-reliance continues to elude them.

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