Bird projects take wing in J&K

As many as 132 proposals for setting up poultry cooperatives have been received by the Jammu and Kashmir agriculture and cooperative ministry, targeting producing about 65 lakh birds per year.

Of these, 56 poultry projects have been forwarded to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) in the first instance involving Rs 21 crore and promising the production of 32 lakh birds per year.

The NCDC has cleared eight projects in Phase I, which promises a production of 100,000 birds per year, involving a capital cost of Rs 4.12 crore. Sanction to ramming projects is in pipeline, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Abdul Aziz Zargar informed.

Stating that the state has decided to encourage commercially functioning cooperative oragnisations "� self-reliant cooperatives, the minister said the government has amended Self-Reliant Cooperative Act with an eye to exploit vast economic potential in poultry and dairy sectors.

The amendment in Act would enable poultry and dairy cooperatives to avail share capital assistance from NCDC and other financial institutions.

Giving reasons for amending the J&K Self-Reliant Cooperatives Act, the Zargar said that amendment in section 3 of the Act permits the contribution towards share capital from government to cooperative societies whereas this facility was not admissible in original act.

The Minister said that under the modern concepts of diversification, the traditional agriculture activities are not commercially viable which has been further compounded by massive land-fragmentation.

In order to offset this disadvantage, the government have adopted the concept of low volume-high value doctrine and have decided to boost cultivation of off-season vegetables, poultry and dairy sectors, which offer vast scope for development on commercial scale.

In order to meet the infrastructure requirements for these sectors, the state government has evolved a tie-up with NCDC, a premier financial institution in the country for cooperative sector, which has already benefited many progressive states of the country on cooperative promotion.

He said that the state despite having tremendous market available locally for poultry and mutton, continues to depend on imports for poultry requirements adding that over 2 crore birds are imported into the state annually to meet the demand.

It values around Rs 150 crore, the Minister added. He said against mammoth requirement for poultry, the state barely produces 25 per cent of the demand.

Zargar added with a view to harness the available potential in poultry, the cooperative sector was thought to be an appropriate medium to reach out to a large section of population.

Responding promptly, the cooperative department undertook statewide awareness, which yielded better dividends. In a short span of time, 393 poultry cooperatives were registered involving 4000 persons.

He said NCDC schemes is also applicable in diary sector which envisages only 50 per cent contribution of the capital cost by the beneficiary cooperative besides 20 per cent subsidy. Thus beneficiary has to bear interest on 50 per cent of the loan only at meagre 8.5 per cent rate of interest per annum.