INVC NEWS
New Delhi ,
The year 2021 has been tough on all industries including the livestock and animal husbandry sector. 
Adding to this is the almost doubling of raw material prices like soya meal which is an important component in poultry and fish feed. This automatically pushes the price of finished products up and the farmers have to bear the brunt of it. Hence it is important to regulate the price of these raw materials and the upcoming budget must look into it.
Moreover, import of genetically modified soya and maize must be allowed to bridge the demand supply gap that exists. The livestock sector currently contributes 25.6% to the Agricultural GDP and 4.11% to the National GDP and can grow further and contribute effectively towards nation building. For successful crop, it is important that the animals receive the right nutrition. The Government should look at bringing in policies so that a certain standard is maintained in feed production with approval from Ministry/ MSME / any other govt official for small scale feed manufactures – so that the quality and feed type can be monitored and maintained.
A minimum contract growing charge should also be fixed for the poultry sector so that farmers are not affected by the fluctuating market. Animal husbandry farmers do not enjoy the same advantage as crop farmers. It is high time that they reap the benefits of credit and insurance. NBFCs and other financial entities should start providing credit loans to animal husbandry farmers so that the sector can reach its full potential. Though the Government has rightly focused on the aquaculture and fisheries sector in previous budget, further attention and implementation of previous measures must be ensured. The budget for the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna needs to be increased by 400% to reap the benefits of this sector properly. The aquaculture sector has tremendous ability to generate livelihood, especially for reverse migrants who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Performance Linked Incentive scheme should be made applicable on manufacturing of floating fish feed and petfood as well.
Government schemes like EPCG is a key enabler of international business to all business institutions which have a significant focus on the export market. However, there is a disparity in the system regarding export to Nepal & Bhutan which does not allow businesses to take advantage of this scheme. The Government must take note of this inconsistency and introduce remedial measures accordingly. Lastly, the Union Budget must encourage indigenous investment in infrastructural development like machines to produce feed and other technologies to take the sector ahead so that companies do not have to be dependent on importing such machines from foreign countries and make Bharat Atmanirbhar.
