Latest news with #SwapanDebnath
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
State looks at pvt players to boost goat meat export
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.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bengal produces 1,623cr eggs in FY24, surpasses nat'l avg
Kolkata: Bengal surpasses the national average in egg production with 1,623.9 crore eggs produced in the fiscal year 2023-24, accounting for 11.37% of India's total production, according to data presented in the state assembly on places Bengal fourth in the national rankings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Animal resource development minister Swapan Debnath, responding to a question from ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui, said that Bengal's egg production continues to exceed the national average by a significant margin. While the national growth rate for egg production stands at 3.78%, Bengal boasts a much higher rate of 18.07%. The state's domestic demand for eggs during the same period was around 1,528 crore, meaning production slightly outpaced consumption. The govt aims to not just meet internal demand but also to establish Bengal as an exporter of poultry products, officials said. "We are now focusing on increasing productivity and strengthening Bengal's position nationally," Debnath said. A few months ago, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that Bengal overtook Uttar Pradesh in the production of eggs, milk and meat. The animal resource development department launched multiple initiatives to boost both egg and meat production. Notably, under the open-space poultry farming model, the state distributed approximately 2.5 crore chicks and ducklings over the past three years. Nearly Rs 180 crore have been spent on these efforts.
