Meat production on a rise in MP against all odds

Bhopal, Apr 8: Despite the ruling BJP government not encouraging meat processing industry in Madhya Pradesh, its production has registered a steep rise in the state.

Meat production was 11,400 metric tonnes in the 2002-03 fiscal when Congress was ruling the state and it increased to 14,800 metric tonnes in 2003-04, when BJP came to power in the state, according to the state's Animal Husbandry Directorate figures.

The production swelled to 16,000 metric tonnes in FY 2004-05, 19,400 metric tonnes in fiscal 2005-06, 20,000 metric tonnes in FY 2006-07, the figures reveal.

The figures rose to 20,600 metric tonnes in 2007-08 and jumped drastically to 34,200 metric tonnes in fiscal 2008-09, and to 36,100 metric tonnes in FY 2009-10, it states.

Meat production figures for the last fiscal is being collected and the figure will be out in two or three months, Animal Husbandry Statistics Assistant Director R P Bilthare told PTI.

However, the state government's lack of interest in developing the industry can be gauged from the fact that Madhya Pradesh, which has the country's highest livestock, doesn''t have any meat processing industry.

In fact, the government's industrial promotion policy - 2010 has placed the meat based industry in the list of ineligible category.

One of the points of the policy states that various facilities being offered by the government for promotion of a number of industries won't be available to industries like slaughter houses, meat-based among others.

PTI