Maha may develop its own egg brand: Munde

Maharashtra imports around 15 million eggs per day – nearly 50% of its daily egg requirement – from southern states, and the animal husbandry department will encourage poultry farmers in the state to close the gap by providing 50-75% subsidy

Mumbai: The animal husbandry department is considering developing its own egg brand to strengthen egg production and boost the income of poultry farmers in Maharashtra, said animal husbandry minister Pankaja Munde.

Animal husbandry minister Pankaja Munde) (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

“While encouraging entrepreneurship in rural areas for poultry business development, we should develop the state’s own egg brand, similar to how we developed milk brands like Aarey and Mahanand,” Munde said on Wednesday while chairing a meeting on implementation of the ‘Mukhyamantri Gramin Pashudhan Udyojakata Yojana’.

Maharashtra imports around 15 million eggs per day – nearly 50% of its daily egg requirement – from southern states, and the department will encourage poultry farmers in the state to close the gap by providing 50-75% subsidy, Munde said.

According to data from the animal husbandry department, Maharashtra has around 74.2 million poultry birds and 1.4 million families depend on the poultry business for their livelihood. Parts of north Maharashtra such as Nandurbar, Dhule and Nashik and districts like Amaravati and Sangli contribute a major chunk of chicken and eggs consumed in the state.

Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Gramin Pashudhan Udyojakata Yojana’, poultry business and egg production would be encouraged at two levels, officials said. District Planning and Development Committees would provide one-time financial help of ₹1.66 lakh to people who want to set up poultry business with up to 500 birds, the amount being 50% of the ₹3.32-lakh project cost fixed by the state. Applicants from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories would be provided 75% subsidy, officials said.

To set up poultry business on a large scale with 5,000 birds, the government will give a subsidy of ₹15 lakh, or 50% of the project cost of ₹30 lakh. Applicants from SC and ST categories would get 75% subsidy, or ₹22.50 lakh.