System proposes registration, supply checks & daily rates
Panaji: The newly registered Goa State Poultry Development Corporation (GSPDC) has proposed a five-tier supply network for the poultry trade, mandatory registration of industry players, stricter checks on incoming live birds and a system for announcing daily poultry prices.
The proposals were announced after the annual general body meeting of the All Goa Poultry Farmer and Trader Association.
“All stakeholders have been asked to register with the corporation by August 26,” said association president and GSPDC director Jaykrishna Naik.
The proposed network will bring poultry integrators, farmers, transporters, distributors and retail shopkeepers under a single framework. The corporation plans to enter into formal arrangements with around 10 to 11 major poultry integrators and suppliers operating in neighbouring areas, including Belagavi, Sawantwadi, Chandgad and Sankeshwar, from where a substantial portion of Goa’s poultry requirements is sourced.
A key part of the proposed system will be checks on the movement of live birds into Goa. Naik said the corporation intends to introduce an inspection mechanism similar to the system followed for beef imports. “Fitness and vaccination certificates must be submitted by suppliers two days prior to transit,” Naik said.
He said border check-posts would be monitored by teams involving the Animal Husbandry Department, GSPDC and local police. The corporation also plans to address fluctuations in poultry prices. Naik said GSPDC aims to bring 100 per cent price control within a month through a structured ordering and distribution mechanism.
Under the proposed arrangement, poultry shops will place their daily requirements with local distributors, who will consolidate the orders and submit them to the corporation. GSPDC will then coordinate bookings with suppliers and facilitate the required supply.
A uniform daily poultry rate will subsequently be announced through local newspapers.
“Goa consumes more than 150 tonnes of chicken and around seven to eight lakh eggs every day. Local production contributes a maximum of around two per cent of the requirement,” said Naik.
The corporation plans to encourage local poultry farming, by proposing government support for the construction of poultry sheds and a guaranteed market. Under the proposed arrangement, GSPDC would buy locally produced chickens at Rs 10 above the cost of production and eggs at Rs 1 above the cost of production. The corporation also plans to conduct training programmes for aspiring farmers covering the procurement of day-old chicks, brooding, temperature management and vaccination.
