PUNE: Poultry farmers from the State met Mahadev Jankar, Minister of animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries development, on July 30 and demanded that wheat, rice, bajra and jowar grains required for poultry feed should be supplied to them at subsidised rates. They have also demanded loan restructuring for poultry farmers. 

”We have asked the government to provide other grains like rice, bajra, jowar and wheat at a subsidised rate so that the cost of production can be balanced. The increasing cost of maize has hit the poultry industry, which has resulted in increased cost of production,” said Sham Bhagat, Chairman, National Egg Co-ordination Committee (NECC), Pune. 

“Many poultry farmers are facing loses and hence, we have also demanded loan restructuring. We do not want a loan waiver but if we get some more time to repay the loans without it becoming a non-performing asset (NPA) it could be of great help,” added Bhagat.

“Due to the low inventory of maize, the prices of maize have increased which has hit poultry farmers. It is an unusual situation and it is important for the government to intervene in the issue because the rate of production has increased from Rs 3 to Rs 4.25 per egg and there is hardly any margin for the farmers. If the government can provide other grains at a lower cost, it will help the poultry industry a lot,” said Agriculture Market Expert Deepak Chavan who was also a part of the meeting.

When contacted, Jankar said, “We are very positive as the poultry industry is an important sector. The State-level concerned authorities will ask for the permission from Food Corporation of India, Delhi, to provide the food grains required for poultry feed at government cost so that the problems of these farmers can be solved.”