JK imports 300 crore poultry a year

Srinagar, Aug 21: Jammu and Kashmir is importing poultry worth Rs 300 crores while milk production in the state is above national average but lacks infrastructure to preserve it.

''We are going to give a major boost to poultry industry as the state is importing poultry birds worth Rs 300 crores annually from other sides,'' Dr G N Qasba, Registrar cooperatives, said.

He said to help people in setting up poultry units, the cooperative department, under different schemes, will provide all assistant and other help.

Dr Qasba said an investor, who has to set up a unit, has to invest just five per cent while the rest will be provided by the government as loan and subsidy.

He said the milk production in the state, particularly in rural areas, was above national average.

''We lack infrastructure for preserving milk which is a perishable commodity and cannot sustain in normal condition for long,'' he said.

Dr Qasba said infrastructure had to be built at village level to preserve milk. This, he said, was possible when ''chillers'' were built in village where 2000 liters to 3000 liters could be preserved.

He gave the example of village Khour in the Jammu region where milk can be preserved in chillers for two days.

This will help to stop distress sale of the commodity and can bring good returns to small milk cooperatives, he noted.

The Registrar informed that experts from Gujarat, who visited the valley, had said the bumper milk production was possible in Kashmir as the climate here was similar to Switzerland.

He rejected the allegations that cooperative system had failed in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir. He said cooperatives in villages were in good shape and working very well. However, the functioning of these cooperatives was not in media's notice. Dr Qasba informed that fertilizer worth Rs one crore was distributed among the farmers through cooperative societies in 2006-07.

However, he admitted mismanagement of cooperative shops in some areas, particularly in the city. During the past ten years, some shops were closed because of the mismanagement, he said and assured that these could be reviewed again if people of that particular area come forward and form a cooperative.

About the cooperative banks, he said they were doing well in all areas of the state.

''We are going to computerise the entire system, he said, adding the bank had Rs 1500 crore deposits, providing all the facilities a customer needed.

About the cooperative system, he said it was first introduced in India in 1903 when only lending facility was available to save the weaker sections from money lenders, who were charging heavy interest.

However, in 1913 it was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir with both credit and lending facilities, besides distribution of commodities.

But after 1947, the cooperatives played a major role to uplift the working class, weaker and poor sections of society.

UNI