State looks at pvt players to boost goat meat export

Time of India

17 hours ago

Kolkata: The state animal resources development department is looking at investment from private players for processing meat of Black Bengal goat and boost its export in global markets.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
State animal resources development (ARD) minister Swapan Debnath on Thursday asked stakeholders in the meat industry to invest in development of processing units to promote Black Bengal goat in international markets. He was speaking at a business conclave on animal husbandries and fisheries organised by Merchants' Chamber of Commerce.
Special secretary in the ARD department Abhijit Shevale said in Purulia's Jhalda, about 300 farmers, mostly women, are farming Black Bengal goats that have a huge potential for export.
Debnath said: "The Black Bengal goat's meat has huge potential and we request the private sector to harvest it in other parts of the state. They can invest in the processing of this goat meat and help rural farmers with a global platform."
In Bengal, the total sale of meat, especially of chicken and mutton, has increased from Rs 34 crore to Rs 106 crore over last year. The ARD department has also included pig meat recently through a Broiler Integrated Project taken up three years ago.
West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Ltd (WBLDCL) witnessed a turnover of Rs 1,600 crore last year.
Utpal Kumar Karmakar, MD of WBLDCL, said: "We are giving the piglets to marginal farmers, especially women, for harvesting pig meat. We have started exporting pig meat from Alipurduar, Siliguri and Jalpaiguri to countries like Bhutan, Bahrain, Qatar through private players."
Bengal has also started supplying fish like prawns, rohu and catla to Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, according to fisheries minister Biplab Roy Chowdhury. "In one year, we would be able to reduce our dependence on Andhra Pradesh for fish supply," he said.