Boosting Poultry Entrepreneurship: Fisheries and ARD Department Organizes Informative Session

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to diversify income sources for farmers and address the rising demand for poultry products in the state, the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (ARD) Department, Government of Odisha, organized a session on “Poultry Entrepreneurship as a Profitable Business: Present Status and Future Trends.” The event took place on February 18, 2024, during Matsya-Pranee Samavesh Odisha-2024 at Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar.

The primary focus of the session was to empower small, medium, and large poultry farmers, aiding them in increasing their farm income. Discussions centered around various technical and business aspects related to poultry development, emphasizing poultry as a sustainable income source. Topics included scientific rearing in poultry, integrated farming, cooperative formation for enhanced negotiation power, and the benefits of value addition in poultry products.

The panel discussion featured esteemed technical and business experts, including Dr. T Kotaiah, MD of Indibro Research & Breeding Farms Pvt. Ltd; Dr. Jeetendra Verma, President of World Veterinary Poultry Association (India); Mr. Deba Biswal, Entrepreneur Srusti Agro, Dhenkanal; and Mr. Amit Panda, Entrepreneur, Ngen, Kalahandi. The session was chaired by Dr. P K Shukla, Ex-Dean, Poultry Division, DUVASU, Mathura, UP, and moderated by Dr. Samarendra Mohanty, Poultry Expert cum Faculty, SOA, Bhubaneswar.

Approximately 250 progressive poultry farmers from different districts of the state actively participated in the session. The interactive question-and-answer session allowed participants to seek insights from the experts and clarify doubts on various aspects of poultry entrepreneurship. A short quiz session added an engaging element to the seminar, with successful respondents receiving compliments in the form of gifts and OMFED products.

The session concluded with a suggestion for farmers to leverage scheme benefits such as MKUY and the state plan through Go-Sugam. It was emphasized that farmers could avail loans on the SAFAL platform for the better development of the poultry industry in the state. This initiative aims to foster entrepreneurship at the grassroots level and achieve self-sufficiency in egg production in Odisha.