Poultry Federation of India Team, Mr. Ranpal Dhanda, President, Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, Vice President (HQ), Mr. Ravinder Sandhu, Secretary, Mr. Ricky Thaper, Joint Secretary, gave a representation to Respected Prof. SP Singh Baghel Ji, Union Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and other Senior Officials of Department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries & Dairying, Government of India including Dr. Muthukumarasamy B, Joint Secretary –IAS (IT/NLM, Dr. SK Dutta, Joint Commissioner, Dr Lipi Sharewal, Deputy Commissioner and Dr. Gagan Garg, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, to discuss the present crisis in poultry industry.
While discussions with Minister Sir, it was stressed that Government must grant ‘Agricultural’ status to poultry & livestock farming and ensure proper feed supplies & robust vaccination program for disease prevention amongst poultry. This first of its kind initiative by a Maharashtra state government aims to empower farmers by enabling access to subsidised agricultural electricity tariffs, tax relief, loans at concessional rates and subsidies on renewable energy infrastructure such as solar equipment. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying must initiate similar policy at the national level, thereby formally bringing livestock and poultry farming under the ambit of ‘agriculture’ sector. Such recognition would lead to benefits for millions of livestock farmers across states and would help in creating parity amongst the population associated with agricultural and poultry & livestock based farming practices.
It was also requested that there is an urgent need for a robust well-coordinated national vaccination and disease-monitoring program. Timely availability of vaccines, along with mass awareness and preventive action, is essential to safeguard bird health and protect farmers from huge economic losses. High market prices of maize (corn) & soybean meal, a key ingredient in the poultry feed, have adversely affected the cost of production of broilers and eggs. The government must initiate steps such as relaxation in import duties to provide support to feed industry, or enhanced domestic production incentives to stabilize feed prices and protect poultry farmer earning margins. The poultry sector, which is growing annually at around 7% to 8%, has a critical role in enhancing rural incomes, nutritional security and employment generation, especially for small farmers. The government must initiate urgent steps to protect farmers associated with poultry, dairy & aqua farming so that it remains a remunerative livelihood option.
During discussions, it was suggested that State Government should consult poultry stake holders to identify festivals and locations requiring restrictions. Also State Government should publish annual state-specific, location based non-sale day calendars at least three months in advance. During the discussions, it was suggested that there should be proper framework -location/ specific meat sale calendar and instead of prohibiting meat sales across entire districts or states, restrictions should be limited to the exact zones where religious observances occur. As poultry industry is the livelihood of millions engaged in poultry, livestock and allied sectors so such support from Center and State should help to minimise distress sales. This should be urgently looked into it to protect the livelihood of poultry farmers and will prevent loss of employment in rural and urban supply chains.
PFI Team appreciated the assurance given by Prof. SP Singh Baghel Ji, Union Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of Indiafor the best possible cooperation from Animal Husbandry Department officials. PFI Team extended the invitation to Minister Sir and Government officials to attend Poultry Federation of India’s 36th AGM being organised at Hotel Ramada, Lucknow (UP) from October 08-09, 2025 to which they gracefully accepted.