NABARD to promote livestock based micro enterprises

LUCKNOW: With a view to generate employment, NABARD is taking several steps to promote livestock based micro enterprises which are also expected to augment supply of quality nutritional inputs like milk, meat, egg etc. As per the central governments initiative NABARD has come out with a mix of credit-cum-subsidy to promote such schemes.

Joint Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries, Sanjay Bhoosreddy, said that the aid is in the form of a back-ended subsidy amounting to 25% of the project cost for general category beneficiaries. Higher level of subsidy of 33.33% is available for special categories of beneficiaries like SC/ST farmers and those living in north-eastern parts of the country.

The scheme is regularly monitored to asses its progress, bottlenecks in implementation as well as suggestions for improvements are discussed with the stakeholders. The aim is to improve flow of credit for setting up livestock based enterprises, thereby generating self-employment as well as augmenting supply of livestock products.

Also the Poultry Venture Capital Fund scheme supports a wide range of activities which include establishment of breeding farms for birds, grower units, hybrid layer and broiler units, feed mixing plants, transport vehicles, retail outlets, poultry dressing plants, cold storage for poultry products, large processing units, emu processing units, etc. During 2011-12 a subsidy of Rs4.35 crore was released for establishment of 189 units. Budget allocation for the current financial year is Rs30.00 crore.

Bhoosreddy said that these schemes have been launched to increase entrepreneurship and also improve livestock in the country. He said that Uttar Pradesh being a large state the government was focusing on increasing the penetration of such schemes in the state.