Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairy, provided a list of actions that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy has taken to promote poultry (including eggs).
In a written response, the minister told the parliament on Tuesday that the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs 15,000 crore has been operational since June 2020.
The statement further said that one of the goals of the programme is to meet the expanding population of the nation's demand for high-quality, protein-enriched meals while also preventing malnutrition. The following activities have been added to the list of Poultry Development activities eligible for credit under the AHIDF:
1. Assisted by technology Poultry Farms (Technologically assisted, Layer Farm with environmentally controlled system, Broiler Breeder Farm with environmentally controlled system and Hatcheries with environmentally controlled facilities)
2. Infrastructure for meat processing and value addition
3. Construction of an animal feed facility (Poultry feed)
The Central government would pay a 3 per cent interest subsidy for a 90 per cent loan to eligible beneficiaries such Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Section 8 Companies, Private Companies, and Individual Entrepreneurs using credit facilities, it added.
Additionally, the central government offers credit guarantees of up to 25 per cent of total borrowings for projects that meet the criteria for being MSME projects.
Moreover, as part of the National Livestock Mission, the central government is offering a 50 per cent subsidy up to Rs 25 lakh for the establishment of parent farms, rural hatcheries, brooders, and mother units for the production of hatching eggs with a minimum of 1000 parent layers and chicks, as well as the rearing of the said chicks for up to four weeks in the mother unit.
Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs), Farmers Cooperative Organizations (FCOs), Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), and Section 8 corporations are among the qualified entities, Rupala told the Rajya Sabha.
His response further said that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy has created a website portal nlm.udyamimitra.in where all the necessary paperwork must be uploaded as part of a fully digital process.
