Andhra: CM offers incentives to boost dairy sector

Vijayawada: Stating that the dairy sector plays a key role in the growth of the rural economy, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced incentives to boost the growth of the dairy and livestock sector in the State. The Chief Minister announced the abolition of property tax on poultry sheds, which was levied during the previous government’s rule. He also promised to treat veterinary services as essential services and provide subsidy for installing solar panels on poultry sheds. He said the government will also extend the subsidy given for micro-irrigation facilities to the dairy sector. Addressing the Animal Husbandry Tech AI 2.0 conference jointly organised by the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation and the Animal Husbandry Department, the Chief Minister said animal husbandry plays a vital role in rural prosperity and women empowerment, rural employment generation and food security. “Andhra Pradesh ranks first in egg production and fifth in meat production and seventh in milk production,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was taking initiatives to strengthen indigenous breeds, train dairy farmers and make Andhra Pradesh a role model for technology-driven rural development. He said 42 lakh people were dependent on the livestock sector, which was contributing 13.5 per cent to the State Gross Domestic Product (GSDP). He also said a programme would be designed to train veterinary students at the field level by starting internships in the dairy and livestock sector. Naidu said the demand for the horticulture sector was also increasing manifold with changing food habits and stressed the need to increase horticulture cultivation to improve farmers’ income. Earlier, the Chief Minister interacted with young entrepreneurs who showcased their innovations. When an entrepreneur told people about GoAadhaar for cattle on the lines of Aadhaar, Naidu advised him to start the programme as a pilot project in one district and the Government was ready to extend support. Stating that the government is ready to encourage startups, the chief minister said the state is moving ahead by using technology and integrating all government services into RTGS for real-time monitoring.