The Animal Resources Development (ARD) Department has decided to develop hatcheries, exclusively for the coloured birds, on public private partnership (PPP) mode, reports IBN Live. Of the 48 new hatcheries being established in the districts, 36 would be handed over to entrepreneurs for which tenders would be floated soon.

This was decided in the first State-level review meeting of the Animal Husbandry sector presided over by newly appointed Fisheries and ARD Minister, Ramesh Chandra Majhi, on Tuesday (24 May). The Government has completed construction of the hatcheries and incubators are being installed. The hatcheries would produce chicks of varieties like Giriraj, Banaraj, Chhapro, Kalinga Brown, Kroiler and Rose Island Red.

"The coloured bird varieties can not only lay between 150 and 180 eggs a year but also weigh more. So, they would be more acceptable and palatable in terms of meat thus providing a more rewarding employment option for the rural youth," officials said.

The Department has set a target to increase egg production from 4.2 million to 10 million eggs a day by 2020. Poultry meat production is also aimed to be enhanced from 70 tonne to 100 tonne annually by the same year.

The Minister also emphasised on increasing feed production for the livestock. Setting a target, the Department officials have been directed to provide 21 tonnes of grain to the farmers before 10 June, failing which disciplinary action would be initiated against the officials concerned. The Department has set sights on achieving feed production of 20 million tonnes per annum by 2020, reports IBN Live.