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ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IN THE MEDIA
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Jammu, Oct.25 (ANI):
People in Jammu and Kashmir may soon be able to relish a new variety of bird meat, which is expected to be beneficial for the poultry farmers here.
The Poultry Wing of the Animal Husbandry Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government is breeding Emu, the largest Australian bird. It is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest and arid areas.
Emu, which develops an adult body at 20 months, has a lifespan of up to 30 years. It can lay eggs till 25 years of age, which is much more than a normal Indian hen. It weighs more than 60 kilograms and grows beyond five feet. The officials of the Department have taken into consideration the success of poultry farmers in Maharashtra, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh who took up breeding the bird for meat. The Department has presently imported a couple of emus on an experimental basis from Maharashtra and is exploring the possibilities of breeding them in Jammu.
“The birds native place is Australia, where it can be commonly found. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are breeding this bird. It is becoming quite popular among farmers there. Therefore, we have introduced it here, said Indu Bhushan, Manager (Poultry Wing), Animal Husbandry Department in Jammu.
This will bring more benefits in comparison to the conventional poultry hens and roosters when we introduce it. It can be used for meat and also to make cosmetics,” said Bhushan added. The department has already ascertained the various factors vis-a-vis survival of Emus in extreme temperatures as well as humid and cold climates.
Five of these birds have been brought from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to Jammu. Three of them have survived while two died. During the ensuing winter season, poultry experts and veterinarians will closely monitor these emus before propagating them among poultry farmers in the region.
Introduction of these birds in poultry farms will help in maintaining the poultry prices constant in Jammu. The local poultry farmers, meanwhile, hope to reap good gains from emu as a poultry bird. But they are waiting for the final observations of the Animal Husbandry Department.
“We do not have market for the big hen in Jammu. Customers demand is for a kilogram or one- and-a-half kilogram of meat, nothing more than that,” said Jaspal Singh, a local customer.
However, the Poultry Wing of the Animal Husbandry Department is keen to try out breeding emus on an optimistic note so as to lend a fillip to poultry produce in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
http://news.smashits.com
Srinagar, Oct.10 (ANI): Annual milk production in Kashmir Valley has touched
a record mark of 8.78 lakhs of metric tonnes, an increase of 28,000 metric
tonnes over the previous year, courtesy the formation of new milk co-operative
societies and commissioning of modern processing units.
Milk production in Jammu and Kashmir valley increased tremendously in the
past couple of years.
It has
shot up by 300 per cent over the last six years.
The production of milk has increased to 8.78 lakh metric tonnes annually in
Kashmir. It was 8.50 lakh metric tonnes earlier. This year the per capita
availability of milk in Kashmir is 356 grams per day where as the Indian Council
of Medical Research has made it mandatory that 290 grams per day must be
available to an individual, said Farooq Ahmad Kaloo, the Deputy Director
(Central) of Animal Husbandry department of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Department of Animal Husbandry is trying to expand the number of dairies
through integrated dairy development programme to set up societies so that we
can canalise overall milk produce, Kaloo added.
A new concept of milk societies that has come up in Jammu and Kashmir has
played a very crucial role to increase the production of milk. These milk
societies formed by local villagers have started mushrooming all over the
State.
Milk from all these societies is collected and transported to the processing
units. Later, at these processing units, the milk is pasteurised and packed
before being despatched to the markets for sale.
With each passing year, the number of milk co-operative societies is on the
rise, and this year, it stood at 190 against 150 in the previous year.
Last year, we had 150 societies. Milk is coming from all the districts in
Kashmir. This year we have 190 societies. Last year, our procurement was 8,000
litres and this year it is more than 12,000 litres, almost over 4,000 litres
increase in production, said Khurshid Ahmed, a dairy owner and milk supplier to
a processing unit.
The network of new societies, collection points and processing units has
opened new job prospects for the youth in the State. So much so, many youths
have ventured to take up dairying as a lucrative profession.
With the help of the Animal Husbandry Department of Jammu and Kashmir, these
enterprising youngsters have been familiar with the latest developments in dairy
farming and enhanced milk production.
Introduction of a new and hybrid livestock has also contributed to this high
production of milk in the valley. Besides, the young dairy farmers are also let
known the novel marketing strategies.
The quality product from various new milk processing units under the brand
name Sheshmashahi and Snow Cap have made a mark.
Apart from the locals, these two brands are very popular among the tourists
visiting the valley region.
Snow Cap has increased its production to 12,000 units per day as compared to
5,000 units of last year.
This year the production is more and the villages have worked hard for the
production. There are many milk production plants that have come up. So the
shortage of milk which at one time worried the State has been eradicated, said
Mohammed Akbar, a milk vendor.
The dairy farming sector in Jammu and Kashmir is optimistic of further growth
as evident from the constant assistance provided by the Animal Husbandry
Department to the dairy farmers.
(ANI)
30/07/2008
The new breeds of poultry birds introduced by the Department of Animal Husbandry Department have boosted the production of eggs and the number of broiler chicken in the Kashmir valley.
Business of poultry birds has witnessed tremendous progress over the last few years. Its credit lies with the Department of Animal Husbandry for introducing new breeds of layers and broilers.
Alongside, the poultry farm owners are also trained in the latest techniques to manage birds. All these progressive steps have consequently helped fabulous increase in the production of eggs as well as broiler birds.
Earlier, the poultry business was confronting several odds.
However, with the introduction of new breeds like One Raja, Japanese quails, turkey, and Kashmir commercial layer (KCL) birds, the production from poultry farms has almost trebled.
For instance, Hariparbat Hatchery is one among the poultry farms, which boasts of breeding and dealing in different varieties of exotic breeds.
"Our poultry used to give very few eggs. So we made a project to increase their productivity. We brought in exotic breeds, which can give better eggs quantity and quality to the public. We have improved on the production last year. We had given 1, 57,000 chicken to the public in which 57,000 were boiler chicks and 100,000 were egg laying ones," said Ishtiaq Ahmed Wani, Technical Officer, Hariparbat Hatchery.
Hariparbat Hatchery has thus recorded ever increasing sales during in last few yeas, evident being customers, the bulk buyers as well domestic consumers, converging here for quality poultry produce.
"Earlier, the Government did not give us enough poultry products from the hatchery centres but now we are getting good products. We have bought over a 100,000 of chicken last year and this year we have bought 22,000 chicken products, which include all varieties of it. Hariparbat Hatchery centre is giving good chicken products these days," said Fayaz Ahmed, a customer.
A particular breed named Chabra has been found to be useful both as a broiler bird and a layer.
To meet the needs of the end consumers, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has made elaborate arrangements for quick transport of poultry farm products in the valley and also the Ladakh region.
Reportedly, in the Kargil sector, the consumption of poultry farm produce is the highest.
"The Chabra breed is beneficial for Kargil. It is a breed, which serves dual purposes. This benefits the poor and rural people who can sell eggs as well as consume the meat from such breeds. The Joint Director of the Poultry Department here is co-operating a lot with us and we get a good response from here," said Gulzar Ahmed, a customer from Kargil
The State Animal Husbandry Department is maintaining a strict vigil on the poultry and poultry products in the valley and is continuously collecting samples to check the disease.
(Daily Greater Kashmir)
28/07/2008
The executive body of Jammu and Kashmir Veterinary Doctors’ Association (JKVDA), Kashmir, at a meeting held on July 22, alleged shortage of HF semen (50%), LN 2, poultry feed, medicine and budget.
The members further alleged that no transport facility was being provided to officials for routine work in the field. They appealed to the directors of AH/SHD to cooperate fully with the filed staff for the betterment of profession. They also urged the Association office-bearers to meet both the directors and apprise them about various difficulties and problems faced by the veterinary doctors. They said, “If the directors fail to address our problems, we will be left with no alternative than to approach the secretary AH/SHD, the chief secretary and even the Governor for the redressal of problems.”
The members on the occasion adopted a resolution that Dr Sheikh Saleem would continue as Association president till his retirement.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Sheikh Saleem said, “From April 2008 onwards the contribution by the members towards JKVDA will be Rs one per day per member i.e. Rs 365 year.”
The meeting was attended by all registered members from every district, joint director poultry, CAHOs, DIOs, ADV, extension officer, superintendents, tehsil officers, BVOs, veterinary assistant surgeons of animal/sheep husbandry departments.
(MyNews.in)
27/07/2008
Despite 45000 metric tones of local milk production, thousands of liters of milk are still being imported to meet the daily demand in the Srinagar district.
The milk is being imported from Jammu and other northern states to meet the daily demand of the people living in the district, official sources said today.
They said thousands of liters of milk was also being brought to city from south and central Kashmir villages by individuals and groups daily in the morning.
Besides a number of milk federations supply thousands of milk packets in the city.
However, during winter when roads get blocked due to snowfall, people in Srinagar face acute shortage of milk.
Meanwhile, a chief animal husbandry officer, Srinagar, said as a result of strenuous efforts put in by his department, the annual milk production has touched 45,000 MTs in Srinagar district and is expected to rise by 10 per cent more.
He said 16,000 animals have been treated against contagious and non-contagious diseases and 12,000 animals dozed against liver fluke so far this fiscal. As many as 4640 artificial inseminations were performed and 2276 births stand recorded.
Srinagar,
June 15: The animal husbandry department has started investigating the
outbreak of certain migratory and resident diseases in livestock,
including the vaccinated lot. The outbreak is seen as a result of
weather conditions that prevailed in the valley for quite some time.
Secretary
animal husbandry, Ravi Thusu, Sunday said though the situation was
under control, but reports of some sporadic cases of eruption of the
disease in cattle at Nowgam area of Srinagar has forced the department
to sound an alert.
A team of departmental officers comprising of a
Joint Director, two deputy directors and some junior officers had a
recce of Nowgam, Padshahi Bagh and Soiteng, Thusu told Greater Kashmir.
The team found that out of 1105 cattle being reared in the area, 840
stood vaccinated. The team found that the disease had affected even
some vaccinated cattle, though with lower intensity.
Eight new
born calves have died due to the disease while the morbidity has gone
up to nearly 30 percent. Thusu said that department has pressed into
service, different teams from the Institute of Animal Health and
Biological Products to collect sera and other morbid material from the
affected animals. The department is also summoning the departmental
epidemiologist from Jammu and have the disease investigated through the
Hissar based Lab of All India Coordinated Project on FMD.
Sporadic
cases of the disease outbreak were also noticed in Srinagar suburbs
like Pandach and Buchpora besides Wachi in Pulwama, Arwani, Kharpora
and Nowgam in Anantnag, Daphal in Machil area and Lolab, Kalaroos in
Kupwara area. Similar reports have also poured in from from
Tossamaidaan in Budgam. “Timely measures taken by the department has
helped in checking the further spread of the disease. There has been no
report of the disease outbreak in Homshalibugh of Islamabad district,”
the department spokesperson said.
“The disease is of economic
connotations but we need not to panic even in the face of an outbreak,”
said Dr J L Mattoo, Joint Director IAH&BP, Zakura. “The farmers
need to segregate the healthy animals from affected animals
particularly the newborn calves, which are the most susceptible to the
infection and usually succumb to it,” added Dr F A Kaloo, Deputy
Director of the department. Dr Kaloo said that the department has
traced the infection roots to some migratory goats that move to
highland pastures in Kashmir from the Jammu region.
“These
animals after moving long distances are tired, have compromised
immunity and add to it the freak weather conditions in which they had
to traverse the inhospitable terrain, the animals therefore contract
the infection and spread it to other animal species coming in contact
on the way,” said Dr Kaloo. “In the Nowgam case the local cattle
contracted the infection from one of the migratory sheep & goat
flocks, which were stationed there for a few days before moving ahead
to highland pastures.”
Srinagar, Jun 15:
The freak weather conditions that prevailed in valley for quite some time has
started showing its impact on livestock here in the shape of some reported
outbreaks of the disease in both migratory as well as the resident. The disease
eruption has been reported even in some vaccinated animals forcing the Animal
Husbandry Department to have it investigated thoroughly.
According to
Ravi Thusu, Secretary Animal Husbandry, the situation is under control. Talking
to Greater Kashmir he said that on receiving some reports of some sporadic
cases of eruption of the disease in cattle in Nowgam area in Srinagar the
department sounded an alert. A team of departmental officers comprising of a
Joint Director, two deputy directors and some junior officers had a recce of
Nowgam, Padshahi Bagh and Soiteng. The team found that out of 1105 cattle heads
resident in the area 840 stood vaccinated. The team found that the disease
had affected even some vaccinated cattle of course with lower intensity. There
have been a total mortality of 8 new born calves and a morbidity of nearly 25
to 30%. He said that department has pressed in to service teams from the
Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products to collect sera and other
morbid material from the affected animals besides summoning the departmental
Epidemiologist from Jammu, have the disease investigated through the Hissar
based Lab of All India Coordinated Project on FMD.
The department has taken some measures that
have started yielding results and God willing the disease will not be allowed
to take an epidemic form provided the farmers cooperate with the department,
hoped Thusu.
Sporadic cases
of the disease were also noticed in Srinagar suburbs like Pandach,
Buchpora, Wachi
in Pulwama, Arwani, Kharpora and Nowgam in Anantnag, Daphal in Machil
area and Lolab,
Kalaroos in Kupwara area. Some reports of the sporadic cases have also
come
from Tossamaidaan in Budgam. Timely measures taken by the department
has helped
in checking the further spread of the disease. There has been no report
of the disease outbreak in Homshalibugh of Islamabad district, a
spokesman of the department clarified here today.
The disease is
of economic importance and we need not to panic even in the face of an
outbreak, said Dr J L Mattoo, Joint Director IAH&BP, Zakura. The farmers
need to segregate the healthy animals from affected animals particularly the
newborn calves which are the most susceptible to the infection and usually
succumb to it, said Dr F A Kaloo, Dy Director from the department. He said that the department has traced the
infection roots to some migratory goats that move to highland pastures in
Kashmir from the Jammu region. These animals after moving long distances are
tired, have compromised immunity and add to it the freak weather conditions in
which they had to traverse the inhospitable terrain the animals therefore contracted
the infection and spread it to other animal species coming in contact on the
way. In the Nowgam case the local cattle contracted the infection from one of
the migratory sheep & Goat flocks which were stationed there for a few days
before moving ahead to highland pastures. Dr Bhupinder Singh, Director Animal
Husbandry told greater Kashmir that all the field formations of the department
have been alerted and asked to keep an eye on the livestock in their respective
areas and take necessary measures to control and contain the disease.
Jammu, June 1: Police has arrested four persons for making a bid to smuggle Bovine animals with out proper permission to Kashmir.
According
to police spokesman, Udhampur Police on a tip off arrested four persons
who were allegedly smuggling bovine animals to valley with-out
permission.
They have been identified as Ghulam Nabi, son of Ghulam
Muhammad, Muhammad Sadiq, son of Shafi ,Ashraf son of Abdul Latief and
Muhammad Altaf, son of Nazir Ahmed all residents of Adakh Tehsil and district Ramban who were involved in smuggling the bovine to valley without proper permission.
Police has registered a case in this regard at PS Udhampur. ENS
Mattan
May 29: Avian Influenza, another name for bird flu is fundamentally a
disease of birds caused by a variety of strains of influenza viruses
that have adapted to a specific host, particularly in water fowl. The
H5N1 strain of influenza - often referred to as bird flu - is first
known to have jumped from chickens to humans in 1997. Since 2004 it has
ripped through poultry and wild bird populations across Eurasia, and
had a 53% mortality rate in the first 147 people it is known to have
infected. Health authorities fear this strain, or its descendent, could
cause a lethal new flu pandemic in people with the potential to kill
billions after the virus responsible for causing the disease jumped the
specie-barrier to infect humans. Experts fear the nature of the disease
could be more lethal than ten hydrogen bombs after causing a pandemic.
Of the 382 human cases reported so far the world over, 241 have been
devoured by the deadly disease. The worrying factor that has sounded
alarm bells in the international organizations, such as, World Health
Organisation (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Office
International des Épizooties (OIE)—a world organisation for animal
health-- is the continuous mutations the virus has been undergoing
through antigenic shift and drift. “Given the potential of the disease
to affect several species of animals and man, it has become necessary
for the veterinary and medical scientists to keep a constant vigil over
the disease to prevent a pandemic,” said Ravi Thusoo, Secretary to
Government, Animal Husbandry Department. Thusoo was addressing the
valedictory function of the World Bank sponsored advanced training for
veterinary workforce of district Islamabad in the control and
containment of Avian Influenza. “The dreaded disease is to be tackled
like a disaster and therefore we need to be prepared to meet any
eventuality.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr Bhupinder Singh Director,
Animal Husbandry, Kashmir formally launched the training programme in
which 68 vets and Para vets participated. Master trainers of the
programme included Dr A A Baba, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Kashmir Livestock Development Board (KLDB), Dr A M Reshi, Chief Animal
Husbandry Officer (CAHO), Islamabad and Dr F A Kaloo, Dy Director,
Animal Husbandry.
The participants were imparted trainings in
surveillance operations, stamping out of the disease in infected flocks
including organized farms and backyard poultry system, disinfection of
farm houses, feed godowns, marketplaces etc. They were also trained in
mass vaccination operations in surveillance zones in the eventualities
like outbreak of the disease. Emphasis was laid on the collection of
sera samples, morbid materials, donning of special dresses in culling
operations, disposing off infected materials, disinfection of
equipments etc
“We have taken several steps like developing an
early warning mechanism through continuous surveillance and monitoring
of resident bird populations, imported poultry and vigil on wetlands
visited by migratory birds,” Singh said. “Against a target of 2000
samples per year, the department has sent 3979 samples to the Regional
Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Jallandhar and the High Security
Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal during the year 2007-08.
These also included samples from the migratory birds.”
He said in
order to generate awareness regarding Bird Flu, 64 awareness camps were
organised at the district and block levels during the past two years.
Of these, 22 such camps were held at block level since the outbreak of
bird flu in West Bengal. Around 70 vets were trained as master trainers
to further train the veterinary work force, he informed.
Dr SP Sharma, director, Animal
Husbandry, Jammu, addressed a series of awareness camps at some villages in the
state. He dwelt at length about the different schemes aimed at raising the
socio-economic status of farmers at micro level.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR (J&K) has
become first North Indian state to have successfully reared Emu at its Poultry
Project, Belicharana, Jammu. Emu is a bird whose adult weight goes up to 60 kgs
and that attains a height between five-and-a-half and six feet. The eggs laid
by the Emu weigh up to 800 grams. The meat and eggs of Emu will fetch a
handsome return to the farmers once it is introduced in the field.
This was disclosed by Dr SP Sharma,
director, Animal Husbandry, Jammu, while addressing a series of awareness camps
at Rajpura village (Gaghwal), Samba
district and Trewa village (Arnia), Jammu, organized by Publicity Wing, Jammu,
and Rinderpest Control organisation respectively under NPRE scheme.
Dr Sharma dwelt at length about the different schemes offered by the department
aimed at raising the socio-economic status of farmers at micro level.
The farmers were also made aware about scientific breeding and management
practices to be adopted for extracting maximum benefits out of the livestock
industry. The villagers hailed the department for organising such awareness
camps.
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