Area of Operation
These farming estates may be established in low poultry-intensive areas (nontraditional areas for poultry) or States where commercialization/ intensification of production has not yet taken place but potential exists. The list of eligible areas / states are: As only two estates are approved on pilot basis, States which come forward to provide land, necessary infrastructure and share 25% of the infrastructure cost will be given preference.
Depending on the demand, the estates will be housing either layers or broilers. Both the birds however are not allowed in a single estate.
Allotment of Land and Selection of a Facilitator
The first step will be to allot land and other facilities required for undertaking poultry farming in a common place for small farmers. Each estate will be either for layers or for broilers. An estate would be requiring about 50 acres of land. State Governments should take initiative and allot land for establishing an estate taking into account the suitability of the activity to the area, potential to benefit scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and create employment opportunities etc.
A State Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (SLSMC) is constituted by the Regional Office of NABARD which will be chaired by the Principal Secretary / Secretary (AH) of the State Government with members from NABARD, financing bank and DAH. Once the State Government comes forward to establish poultry estate, the SLSMC shall decide on the suitability of the land keeping in view factors like distance from water bodies, existing farms, connectivity, migratory birds flying route, etc, and if found suitable, will invite proposals from NGOs, companies, integrators and Government departments for working as a facilitator.
The agencies who are applying have to submit a detailed action plan as to how they want to proceed in the matter.
SLSMC shall scrutinize the proposals and identify a facilitator and recommend to GoI through NABARD.
Once a facilitator for an estate is approved, that agency will be responsible for creation of common infrastructure like supply of electricity and water, internal roads, fencing, footbath/footdip and other bio-security measures like waste disposal system outside the individual units; but within the estates. This expenditure subject to a ceiling of Rs 200 lakh will be given on grant basis and will be shared by Central and State Governments in the ratio of 75:25. The grant assistance will depend on the number of units to be housed in the estate.
A minimum of 50 units should be there in each estate and the maximum number of units that can be housed in an estate shall be 100. The facilitator would work under the overall supervision of the SLSMC as per the conditions laid by them. SLSMC has the right to remove any facilitator if they deviate from the guidelines or act against the interest of the beneficiaries 9
Selection and Training of Beneficiaries
An advertisement shall be given by the facilitator in the local dailies calling for applications from interested persons. The requisites such as the social and financial status of the candidates shall be given in the advertisement. Preference will be given to women, SC/ST, educated unemployed youth and economically backward section of the society.
A committee comprising representatives of NABARD, district Animal Husbandry Department, DRDA, lead bank and facilitator shall select the candidates from out of the applicants.
The facilitator shall arrange for training of the selected beneficiaries under the guidance of local Animal Husbandry Department.
The selected beneficiaries will be organised into a society, which will be responsible for running the estate under the guidance of the facilitator.
The land shall be given by the State Government to the society / individual beneficiaries on long term lease so that a charge can be created in favour of the financing bank. Modalities of the lease shall be decided by the SLSMC in consultation with the financing bank.
Creation of Infrastructure for Feed Manufacturing The input industry of poultry like feed manufacturing units should be connected to the efforts of establishing estates. These units shall be located nearby. Similarly disease investigation labs may have to be in a place, accessible by the beneficiaries. Assistance to eligible activities like feed manufacturing or poultry disease investigation labs should be facilitated.
Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Establishing Poultry Estates and Mother Units For Rural Backyard Poultry (Funded by NABARD)
Objectives of the Scheme:
The objective of the scheme will be to establish two poultry estates, either layer or broiler depending on the demand, to Encourage small & marginal farmers, educated & unemployed youth, women, socially & economically backward section of the society to take up activities of poultry sector in a compact area by providing required infrastructure and related Facilities. Achieve economies of scale by adopting cluster approach, better resource sharing etc.
Putting technical-backstopping, training and operation procedures in place in these units to prevent risk of loss from breach of biosecurity and disease.
Restore consumer confidence in products from these estates and encourage brandrecognition and therefore ensure a steady market. Farmers may exploit opportunity provided by these estates to become exporters of poultry products.
Eventually, these model poultry estates should have a snowball effect and propel private sector to pay attention to bio-security issues, hygienic, pollution-free production and most important of all, welfare of primary farmer etc.