Thomas for separate ministry to look after dairy, fisheries

NEW DELHI: Contending that the livestock and milk sectors have not been receiving adequate government attention, Food Minister K V Thomas has demanded hiving off animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries from the Agriculture Ministry, which is under NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

"I fervently request the Prime Minister to kindly consider establishment of a separate ministry with a separate minister exclusively for Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries," Thomas said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Early this year, Thomas, a Congress MP from Kerala, was elevated as MoS with independent charge after Pawar decided to give up the portfolio of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

"I have a feeling that the Department (Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries) has not so far acquired as much development as it should have been... since it is functioning under the Ministry of Agriculture, the predominant attention is paid only toward agriculture, diluting the required attention toward animal husbandry," he pointed out.

Thomas has a special interest in fisheries development and was a fisheries minister in the Kerala government in 2001.

The minister had met the Prime Minister a couple of months ago on this issue, where he emphasised the need for a separate ministry, saying there was a lot of potential in this sector, with plenty of funds and scope for development.

In the letter, Thomas highlighted that animal husbandry constitutes over 30 per cent of the country's agricultural sector output. The contribution of the livestock and fishery sector to the total GDP has been over 6 per cent.

Besides, India is endowed with the highest population of livestock in the world and is also the largest producer of milk, he added