Bhubaneswar, Dec 6: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Saturday that his government has taken a significant step in announcing a comprehensive Bovine Breeding Policy for the overall growth of dairy sector.
He urged the farmers of the State to use the opportunities of the new policy for greater benefits.
This policy will assist in upgrading the genetic potentiality of our dairy animals to enhance their productivity, he said adding it will also enable the farmers to produce productive dairy animals suitable to our local conditions.
Patnaik said Odisha Livestock Resource Development Society will spearhead bovine breeding activities in the state and the breeding assets will be transferred to society.
The Bovine Breeding Policy explicitly focuses on conservation and improvement of native breeds available in the state.
Animal Health Camps will be conducted at Panchayat level to address the infertility problems of cows and buffaloes, he said adding OMFED will soon start exclusive procurement and marketing of Bijharpuri cow milk and Chilika buffalo milk under premium brands which will help in better conservation and development of these indigenous breeds.
OMFED will also set up an automated dairy plant at the cost of Rs.285 Crore to meet the future needs of the state. A programme has been worked out for taking up fodder cultivation in 75 thousand hectares of area during the current Rabi season.
The livestock sector is an inclusive sector that leads to economic empowerment of women and weaker sections, the Chief Minister said adding this sector contributes around 18 per cent of the total State Agriculture Gross Domestic Product in Odisha.
Milk production in the state has increased by 6 percent during 2014-15 whereas procurement by OMFED has grown by 22 percent. Similarly, egg and chicken production has been increased substantially.
“The Government is supporting farmers for Goat rearing with 50 percent subsidy and encouraging them to adopt modern practices. Farmers are also provided 50 percent feed cost under the Calf Rearing Scheme,” he said.
There has been a remarkable growth in Artificial Inseminations of bovines, numbers of calves born, de-worming of animals and vaccination, the chief minister asserted.
