Poultry Federation of India (PFI) celebrated its 28th Annual meeting at Hyderabad which was a 2 day event, AGM on July 15, next day followed by National Seminar. Both the AGM and seminar was attended by high spirited gathering.
The Chief Guest for the event was Honorable Minister of Agriculture Sh. Radha Mohan Singh, Government of India who was accompanied by special dignitaries like Dr. Lakhsman, BJP President and MLA, Mr. Dharma Rao, Vice President(State) BJP, ex-MLA Warangaland Poultry farmer, Sh. Mahipal Dhanda, MLA, Panipat Gramin and Poultry Farmer.
Mr. Ramesh Chander Khatri, President of PFI, highlighted the significance and stake of poultry industry in the country’s economy. By presenting the statistics, he represented the importance of Poultry among its allied industries like equipment, pharmaceuticals, feed milling etc. To make the Indian Poultry competitive globally, he appealed to Honorable Minister to support the industry and further share the role of egg and other poultry products in Food Security, being cheap and affordable protein sources which cannot be adulterated.
According to Vijay Sardana, Advisor, PFI, Poultry is an ATM machine for farmers. Out of 365 days, it gives income for 300 days. This is the fastest crop, a farmer can sell 30 days onwards after placement. Poultry can be an economic source for BPL families. Rural families can start business with less than Rs. 1000. These farmers also support rural economy, as almost 60% of total maize produced and 80% soya DOC is consumed by poultry sector. It should be an integral part of midday meal programs.
Poultry sector & its economic significance
- Supports Food Security and Nutrition for 125 crore people
- Rural and Urban Employment – about 10 crore people
- Rural and urban Income – about INR 100,000 crores
Import Policy
For end users of Poultry ingredients which are imported to India, there should be concessional duty as it is used to improve efficiency and reduce cost of production
No domestic industry will suffer because no one is making these products in India
Tax loss will be a fraction of the total additional value created by poultry sector
GST and its implication
Poultry should be at par with other agriculture sectors like corn and soybean
Further on Mr. Mahipal Dhanda who is a sitting MLA and a poultry farmer highlighted actual problems faced by a farmer such as pollution to harass farmer and asked the honorable cabinet minister to support the industry.
The first session concluded with Chief Guest’s address in which he promised support to the industry and expressed his gratitude as it was the first time that a cabinet minister has attended the AGM. He asked PFI to meet him with a delegation to discuss issues related to transportation and pollution in details.
In the 2nd session, the President, PFI shared about the activities of PFI with its members like the Protein Awareness Campaign-an effort to increase the consumption of poultry products. It will not only open more markets but will also help the country to deplete the magnitude of malnutrition in India. The World Egg Day celebrations were also discussed.
Mr. Ranpal Dhanda expressed his sincere gratitude for making the AGM such a grand success. He also thanked the sponsoring companies for supporting PFI.
The following day was dedicated to technical know-how, practical sessions, e-marketing sessions which was well attended by industry audience. This seminar session was followed by Panel Discussion as on how to go about the challenges and issues of the industry.
The 2-day event concluded with felicitations of all the sponsors, special invitees, guests and dignitaries.
