Berhampur: Ganjam has emerged as the top producing district in Odisha, officials informed here Tuesday. This has happened due to attractive sponsorship schemes and incentives provided by the state government. Officials added that Ganjam district, which once needed a supply of eggs from outside, to meet its daily requirements, has now turned self-sufficient. Due to the government’s incentives more and more people are getting into poultry farming. Confirming this development, Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Dr. Manoj Kumar Sahu, said that eggs and hens are now providing sustainable sources of livelihood to many. Women’s self-help groups (SHGs) are also venturing into poultry farming due to government initiatives. The results are there for everyone to see, Sahu said. “Ganjam at present is producing 50 per cent of the total eggs required in the state. The district is not only supplying eggs to other parts of Odisha, but to neighbouring West Bengal and states in the northeast,” Sahu informed.
Sources said that Ganjam district has a daily requirement of approximately 21 lakh eggs. Earlier daily production veered around the 15-lakh mark. Now it has more than doubled, the sources added. To boost egg production in the district, the Odisha government launched the ‘Mukhya Mantri Krushi Udyog Yojana’ and promised a subsidy of Rs 50 lakh to encourage youths to take up poultry farming. Now recently the subsidy has been increased to Rs 1 crore.
As part of this initiative, youths who will take up poultry farming with at least 1,000 hens will be given an initial subsidy of Rs 3,03,640. Then as per further requirements, funds will be provided. This initiative has proved to be hugely successful, locals said. Currently, the district has 63 poultry (egg-laying hens) farms where lakhs of hens are being reared. Encouraging women SHGs has also paid off.
Currently, 102 such SHGs are rearing approximately 1,000 hens, and 216 others are tending to more than 2,000 hens each. A total of 250 farmers are also into poultry farming rearing more than 1,000 hens each. Two hatcheries have also been established at Bhanjanagar and Ankushpur for the production of chicks.
Officials said that currently the district has a large poultry population (comprising 4.90 lakh hens) and produces approximately 41 lakh eggs daily. It has enabled the district to supply eggs to other parts of the state. When contacted, Subhendu Kumar Sahu, president of the ‘Ganjam Egg Laying Hen Farmers Association’ said that the district has achieved self-sufficiency in egg production. He, however, lamented that the government is not taking any initiative to address the health hazards associated with poultry farming. He added that the government should set up a special laboratory to handle various issues associated with poultry farming including the diet of hens.