Conservation of Pony is top priority: Very Director
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, April 26 2018: The Directorate of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry has taken up an important project to conserve and promote Manipuri Pony and the State Government has allocated Rs 2 crore for setting up a Pony Sanctuary at Heingang to conserve and rehabilitate ponies which are roaming around, creating nuisance to the public.

As the fund allocated will be insufficient, the department is pursuing to get a loan of Rs 6 crore from NABARD under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund to provide a permanent place for the ponies.

Talking to media persons at the press conference organized by DIPR at its office complex at Moirangkhom today, Dr H Chaoba Singh, Director, Veterinary & Animal Husbandry stated that the department has taken up various activities for economic alleviation of the farmers through rearing of animals.

He said that the department has taken up a scheme of adopting Milch Mura Buffaloes under NEC amounting to about Rs 5.7 crore.

The scheme covers five districts namely Thoubal, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Senapati and CCpur.

Under this scheme, five months pregnant Mura Buffaloes which can give 10 litres of milk per day will be distributed to 400 beneficiaries.

Among the 400 beneficiaries, 150 beneficiaries are from Thoubal, 30 from Imphal West, 25 from Senapati, 53 from Churachandpur and 257 from Bishnupur.

For the year 2017-18, Milch Mura Buffaloes have been distributed to 150 beneficiaries.

For the year 2018-19, e-tendering process is underway to distribute the buffaloes to 150 beneficiaries.

The department has also taken up the scheme of Backyard Poultry Farming in four Zilla Parishads.

The beneficiaries are selected by the respective Panchayats numbering 125 each from the four Zilla Parishads.

The beneficiaries get 40 chicks to start the poultry farm from the Department.

To monitor the beneficiaries, the department has taken up the livestock census and integrated sample survey.

Under the National Livestock Mission, the Central Govt has allocated Rs 1.84 crore.

For the year 2017-18, three piggery Farms have been set up namely Torbung Piggery Farm, Tarungpokpi Piggery Farm and Hiyanglam Piggery Farm.

For the Hiyanglam Piggery Farm, the department is trying to procure the necessary infrastructure.

Piglets are distributed to the beneficiaries at subsidized rate.

The Govt faced some loss but the loss of the department is gain for the farmers and so piglets were given at subsidized rate, said the Director.

Dr Ng Ibotombi Singh, Joint Director (Administration) stated that the educated unemployed youth are progressing in animal husbandry sector.

For them, the department has been providing residential training on scientific technical knowledge of animal husbandry.

For the current year also, the department will be conducting the training scon and the department has taken up a programme of prior vaccination to ward off various animal diseases.

Vaccination for Foot and Mouth disease, Black Quarter (BQ) and Haemorrhagic Septicemia (HS) are taken up.

Foot and Mouth disease has been a big cause of economic loss to the country and to eradicate the disease by 2025 from the country, the Central Government has taken up a programme known as the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Programme.

The programme was launched in the State in the last part of 2017-18, and so the programme is in its initial stage in the State.

He also said that the department has chalked out a strategy of collecting blood samples randomly from vaccinated animals so as to find out effectiveness of the vaccination programme.

If the vaccination is found ineffective, the team rendering the service of vaccination are liable for prosecution.

Immediate precautionary steps are taken up according to the disease forecasting of livestocks made by the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research Centre, Bengaluru that can occur in a month.

For this a mobile app has also been circulated by the Department.

There has been a drastic decrease in Foot and Mouth Disease cases as compared to previous years because of continuous free vaccination camps conducted by the department, Ibotombi said.

The State faced only one outbreak in the year 2017-18 and there is no such outbreak so far this year.

The department needs support from the farmers for timely intervention and in curbing such outbreak of diseases, he added.

The department has a small budget and it hinders proper functioning of the department.

Nonetheless through various Central sponsored schemes, the department has been able to provide benefits to the farmers, stated Dr Ch Nandakishore Singh, Joint Director (Planning & Budget Section).

He said that piggery farming has been given top priority under the National Livestock Mission.

Foreign breed will be procured and with artificial insemination improved breeds of piglets will be distributed to the beneficiaries at a subsidized rate.

For development of poultry and dairy farming and to enhance farmers' skills, funds from Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana Scheme have also been applied to supplement fund shortage of the department.

For Livestock Health and Disease Control, the department is trying to take funds from the Central Govt.Under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Scheme, 60 veterinary hospitals and dispensaries have been set up and 26 others are under construction.

To improve social status and livelihood of the Scheduled Caste population of Sekmai, Andro, Leimaram and Thanga, a project has been submitted to North Eastern Council for rearing milk producing cows and the department is trying to implement the programme as soon as the fund is released, he added.

W Phajatombi Devi, Joint Director, Department of Information and Public Relations was the moderator of the media interaction.

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