Chennai, May 7 (KNN) To enable small and medium farmers in the state to take up poultry, the Tamil Nadu government has launched a scheme to promote poultry clusters in seven backward and non-poultry regions in the state for an outlay of Rs 22.35 crore.

According to a policy note of the state animal husbandry department, at present, poultry farming on a commercial scale is mostly practised in the western parts of the state, with Namakkal having developed into an egg-laying belt and the Palladam region into a hub for broilers.

However, the department has said there is good potential for poultry development in other parts of the state too. 

So far it has developed the poultry industry by establishing poultry extension centres, which act as demonstration farms and provide training to farmers in poultry-rearing. Most poultry farmers earn anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 100,000 per month.

The department has now proposed to involve the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and scheduled commercial banks to implement the scheme, which will be integrated with the existing Poultry Venture Capital Fund of the Union government, under which Nabard provides a 25 per cent back-ended subsidy to individuals.

As per the scheme, the individual entrepreneur has to raise the remainder of the funds through his own sources or through bank loans.  Farmers, individual entrepreneurs and self-help groups are eligible.

The intervention of the state government will be in the form of providing a 25 per cent front-ended subsidy for establishing poultry farms. An individual is eligible for availing of the assistance only once for each component. The beneficiaries under this scheme will be provided with five days' training on commercial native poultry rearing through the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.

Meanwhile, Nabard said banks might encourage contract farming for broiler activity and may provide poultry units with finance for capital investments like sheds and equipment. They might also finance the breeding or rearing of alternative species of poultry (such as quail and duck) and diversified activities under the poultry sector.

The credit potential for poultry development in the state during the current financial year has been estimated at Rs 1,330.65 crore.

Tamil Nadu accounts for 20 per cent of total egg production in India accounting to about Rs 7,500 crore, according to a report by industry body Assocham. About 20,000 million eggs are produced in the state each year.

Animal husbandry is an important sector in the rural economy by providing employment to a large number of small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers, and raising their economic status.

Livestock is an important resource next only to family labour for landless agricultural labourers, it being their only major asset. (KNN)