Maharashtra most affected in poultry sales: Pawar

Baramati, Mar 11 (UNI) Poultry sales all over the country have dropped, but Maharashtra has been the most affected, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said.

''While sales in Maharashtra are still only 30 per cent of what they were before the bird flu broke out, there is a marginal improvement. In other parts of the country 70 per cent of the earlier figures,'' Mr Pawar told reporters here, adding that the prices are still low countrywide.

Speaking on the Horticulture Mission, which he was spearheading, Mr Pawar said that the scheme has a 60 per cent subsidy component and about Rs 3,300 crore has been allocated to the states.

Maharashtra has been allocated Rs 160 crore so far from the Mission.

He called upon the states to adopt a 'cluster' approach so that the scheme could be optimally exploited. For, he said that if a particular area was found conducive for a particular fruit, then focus should be given to that fruit.

''This will enable farmers of that area to produce a reasonable quantity of that particular product and it will also help to provide them with good and adequate storage and processing facilities,'' he said.

Another area of focus would be upgrading cattle genetically to produce high-quality milk.

Mr Pawar also drew attention to the immense potential of the aqua-culture in the country, pointing out that this sector presently accountes for exports to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore. ''In the next four years, we aim to increase it to Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore.'' Calling for diversification into horticulture, floriculture, fisheries and poultry farming, Mr Pawar said that contract farming was another area that would assume tremendous importance in the coming years.

Commenting on the contract farming in Punjab, the Agriculture minister said that so far farmers had a preference only for wheat and different types of rice. As a result, there was too much use of water and fertilisers and hence ground water level had declined sharply in the state.

The Union Agriculture ministry, he said, is now trying to persuade farmers to grow wheat, various types of Basmati on being asked about his views on co-operative banks now being taxed as per the latest budget announcements, Mr Pawar said that he saw nothing wrong in it as they were making profits.

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