Bengal has become India’s highest animal protein producer: Mamata
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed on Monday that Bengal has become India’s highest animal protein producer, overtaking even the large state of BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, according to the Government of India’s Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024.
“Delighted to know that Bengal has become India’s highest animal protein producer, overtaking even the large state of Uttar Pradesh. GOI has acknowledged that and lauded Bengal in public domain. As per GOI’s just published Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024, Bengal is now the country’s highest producer of meat, contributing 12.62 percent of the national output.
In milk production, West Bengal has recorded the highest Annual Growth Rate in the country i.e., 9.76 percent against the national average of 3.78 percent, “ Mamata wrote on her X handle.
Banerjee’s social media post further stated that in the poultry sector, the state’s annual growth rate in egg production is 18.07 per cent as against the national average of 3.18 per cent. “All these achievements are testament to our innovative policies and programmes and indicate the robust strength of our farmers and producers,” posted Banerjee. According to sources in the state Animal Resources Development (ARD) department, for rearing of chicks through backyard poultry method, the department from 2021-22 to 2023-24 has distributed 2.45 crore chicks and ducklings to 22.78 lakh beneficiaries and 27,985 to Self-Help-Groups (SHG). The department has spent Rs 170.93 crore in this area which has contributed to augmentation of the rural economy by increasing egg and meat production.
Under the West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2017, the egg production presently stands at 179 crore. 114 chicken farms have already started production and another 44 farms are in various stages of construction. When the entire project gets completed, there will be a total production of 262.29 crore eggs per year.
The Broiler Integration Programme has included 2,100 farmers in 15 districts and 3.10 crore chickens have hit the market in the last three years. The Pig Integration Programme has been rolled out in three districts of North Bengal in 2022-23 which has provided assistance to farmers.
The department has sent up 20 Farmer Producer Company (FPC) and 400 goat clusters which has benefitted 26,000 remote rural families. This has contributed to an increase in goat meat production with the total expenditure being Rs 16.24 crore in this area. The FPC project won the Skoch Silver Award in 2023.
From 2021-22 to 2023-24, over 1.45 lakh goats have been distributed to 14,561 SHG groups for increasing meat production. The West Bengal Goat Breeding Policy 2023 was notified in June this year which will benefit farmers involved in goat rearing. Seven commercial poultry layer farms have been set up with an expenditure of Rs 256 crore in Kalyani, Mekhliganj, Haringhata, Malda, Purulia and Salboni that produce 38 crore eggs annually. Two chicken breeding farms have been set up at Jatiakhali in Jalpaiguri and Saltora in Bankura. Meat plants at Haringhata and Phansidewa have been producing 4000 metric tonnes of chicken, 150 MT of mutton, 50 metric tonnes of pork and 3 metric tonnes of lamb meat.
