The Hindu Business Line : Poultry feed analysis lab in Pune

THE first poultry feed analysis laboratory would be set up in Pune by December, this year, as part of the efforts to promote the concept of providing nutritionally balanced poultry feed and also to impartquality standards acceptable by international customers, according to Mr O. P. Singh, Chief Executive of Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd.

Addressing the annual seminar of the Association of National Poultry Feed Manufacturers (ANPFM) here on Thursday, Mr Singh also stated that efforts were on to create a large warehousing capacity that could store about 40,000 tonnes of poultry feed ingredients by 2006. He wanted the association to explore the possibility of setting up regional centres to build warehouses and also rope in banks for extending the necessary finances.

Mr Singh said that nearly 29 per cent of the total food grains traded in the world was contaminated with toxins and it was necessary to develop a centre for scientific research in the areas of poultry nutrition, feed formulations, productivity improvement and for adopting international quality standards for poultry feed and other ingredients.

Stating that feed accounted for over 35 per cent of the cost of production in poultry sector, he asked the association to prevail upon the Government to reduce the "high" import duty on poultry feed ingredients such as maize. He said that the poultry sector needed an additional 1.3 million tonnes of maize and 20 per cent excess amino acids then what was consumed last year. The raw material availability in the country was inadequate and the industry had imported 39,000 tonnes of amino acids by paying heavy import duty last year.

The ANPFM President, Dr Dronawat, said that the prices of poultry feed such as maize and soyabean had steeply increased in the past five years. While maize prices increased the from Rs 5,022 per tonne in 1999 to Rs 6,128 a tonne in 2004, the price of soyabean had shot up from Rs 7,200/tonne in 1999-2000 to Rs 15,068 a tonne in 2004-05.

Dr Dronawat said that shortage of coarse grains production and non-availability of broken rice coupled with extensive use of sorghum for production of alcohol and increase in the exports of maize has led to the rise in the prices of poultry feed ingredients. He advised the poultry farmers not to grow birds beyond 42 days as, after six weeks, the birds consume more feed.

The Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore Agricultural University, Dr R.N. Srinivas Gowda, said that poultry in the country was Rs 20,000-crore industry providing employment to about 3 million people. He wanted the farmers to go in for newer technology for reducing the cost of production so that poultry farming would be profitable.

The Venkateshwara Hatcheries General Manager, Mr K.G. Anand, welcomed the gathering. Two poultry farmers, Mr E. Rajender and Mr E. Ravinder Reddy, who have been elected as the members of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the recent elections, were felicitated on the occasion of the first annual seminar of the association.