GUWAHATI: Assam has achieved self-sufficiency in fish production. It, however, lags behind in the production of milk, eggs, and meat. As many as 35 lakh eggs and 35 lakh litres of milk come to the state every day, draining crores of rupees from the state daily.
According to official records, in 2022–23, the average per-day requirement of milk in the state was 73 lakh litres, compared to the production of 29 lakh litres per day. To bridge this gap, the state imports around 35 lakh litres of milk daily.
According to official data, in 2022–23, the average daily requirement of eggs in the state was 174 lakh eggs, compared to the daily production of around 15 lakh eggs. According to sources, the state imports on average 30–35 lakh eggs daily.
The total requirement of fish in the state in 2022–23 was 4.49 lakh MT, compared to the production of 4.43 lakh MT. However, even now, fish come to the state from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, etc. A section of consumers prefer imported (chalani) fish to the local ones because the former is more cost-effective.
Though the state has potential for the production of fish and eggs, the government has not tapped them. The government has taken up a few schemes to increase their production, providing high-yielding cows to the self-help groups. The focus is (i) productivity enhancement, organizing farmers into milk producer institutions that eventually will get registered as dairy cooperative societies, (ii) genetic upgradation of non-descript cows using artificial insemination (AI), (iii) improved feeding through fodder production demonstrations, (iv) bulk supplement provisions through societies, and by developing linkage with crop producers, (v) village-based milk procurement system, (vi) door-step AI delivery services, and (vii) processing and marketing of liquid milk and milk products.
In the case of egg production, the government encouraged individuals and self-help groups (SHGs) to produce chicks by using low-cost technology under the National Livestock Mission and the distribution of ducklings and one-day-old chicks, etc.
According to official sources, the Department of Animal Husbandry is encouraging backyard poultry rearing in order to enhance meat and egg production. As this sector generates employment and enhances rural income, a large number of people are directly engaged in the poultry sector.
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