Chandigarh/SAS Nagar, March 28:
Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Mr. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has issued directions to the officers of the department to attract the youth of the state towards the allied livestock farming sector. He asked the officers to frame a policy at the earliest to engage the youth with livestock farming so that more and more youngsters could start their own business. Expressing deep concern during the first meeting with the officials at the headquarters of the Animal Husbandry Department here today, he said that due to high cost of fodder, feed and medicines, the livestock farming is no more profitable.
The Animal Husbandry Minister said that concrete efforts should be made to provide quality feed and medicines at cheaper rates to the livestock farmers so that this business could be made profitable.
He said that there is an urgent need to strengthen the marketing infrastructure and provide marketing facilities so that the farmers could easily sell their livestock and their products such as meat, eggs etc.
He asked the officials to share a roadmap in this regard with him so that this could be implemented on priority. He said that horse trading was booming in the state and many people had set up their own stud farms. He further said that NRIs were also showing keen interest in horse business. The Minister also issued instructions to the department to formulate a special policy for sale and purchase of horses at national and international level.
Expressing concern, Kuldeep Dhaliwal said that sometimes due to natural calamities or other reasons, the livestock farmers have to bear huge losses due to which they suddenly leave the livestock farming. The Minister asked the officials to bring an insurance policy so that the livestock farmers could be easily compensated for their losses.
Among others Special Chief Secretary Animal Husbandry Ravneet Kaur, Secretary Malvinder Singh Jaggi, Joint Secretary Rajpal Singh, Vice Chancellor GADWASU Dr. Inderjit Singh, Director Animal Husbandry Dr. HS Kahlon, Director Dairy Development Karnail Singh, Director Fisheries Rajinder Kumar Kataria and other senior officers of the department were also present.
