Highlighted points from MOS speech on Foundation stone laying ceremony of the International and National centre for Foot & Mouth disease at Aragul, Bhubaneswar.
The country is the home of around 200 million people living below poverty line, 80 million protein-energy malnourished children and a sizeable women population suffering from anemia.
All out efforts are required to boost up livestock sub sector where 70 million population is directly involved to produce quality food of livestock origin both for domestic consumption and export.
Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India in their vision document calculated the need of 20 gram of protein per person per day in addition to protein sources from cereal and other sources.
Out of this requirement, 50% i.e. 10 gram is targeted from milk, 20% i.e. 4 gram from each of meat and fish and 10% i.e. 2 gram from eggs.
To achieve this, milk production (@ 250 ml per day for non-vegetarian and @ 500 ml for vegetarian population) has to go up to around 160 million ton from the present level of 100 million ton by 2020.
The requirement of meat and eggs are estimated to be to the tune of 10.58 million ton and around 90 - 120 billion eggs respectively.
In order to achieve the target, suitable technologies to support livestock production optimization will have to be put in place.
We are also building up our capabilities and competitiveness to manage the import diseases specially after the complete eradication of disease like rinderpest.
FMD is one such disease which is causing severe economic loss to the poor livestock grower.
In order to develop suitable diagnostic tools and vaccines, ICAR established a Project Directorate on FMD at Mukteswar which has been providing technology backstopping to the development departments to control this disease.
Considering the capacity that has been built in the country on surveillance, monitoring and control of FMD, International organization like OIE desired that India takes a lead in facilitating competence development on FMD in the SAARC region. Accordingly, ICAR approved the plan of establishing such a centre during XI plan period and here we are today laying the Foundation of this centre.
While complimenting the scientists on their achievement thus far, I look forward with interest the success emanating from this newly planned centre as controlling this disease will tantamount to saving around Rs.20,000 crores annually.
The country is the home of around 200 million people living below poverty line, 80 million protein-energy malnourished children and a sizeable women population suffering from anemia.
All out efforts are required to boost up livestock sub sector where 70 million population is directly involved to produce quality food of livestock origin both for domestic consumption and export.
Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India in their vision document calculated the need of 20 gram of protein per person per day in addition to protein sources from cereal and other sources.
Out of this requirement, 50% i.e. 10 gram is targeted from milk, 20% i.e. 4 gram from each of meat and fish and 10% i.e. 2 gram from eggs.
To achieve this, milk production (@ 250 ml per day for non-vegetarian and @ 500 ml for vegetarian population) has to go up to around 160 million ton from the present level of 100 million ton by 2020.
The requirement of meat and eggs are estimated to be to the tune of 10.58 million ton and around 90 - 120 billion eggs respectively.
In order to achieve the target, suitable technologies to support livestock production optimization will have to be put in place.
We are also building up our capabilities and competitiveness to manage the import diseases specially after the complete eradication of disease like rinderpest.
FMD is one such disease which is causing severe economic loss to the poor livestock grower.
In order to develop suitable diagnostic tools and vaccines, ICAR established a Project Directorate on FMD at Mukteswar which has been providing technology backstopping to the development departments to control this disease.
Considering the capacity that has been built in the country on surveillance, monitoring and control of FMD, International organization like OIE desired that India takes a lead in facilitating competence development on FMD in the SAARC region. Accordingly, ICAR approved the plan of establishing such a centre during XI plan period and here we are today laying the Foundation of this centre.
While complimenting the scientists on their achievement thus far, I look forward with interest the success emanating from this newly planned centre as controlling this disease will tantamount to saving around Rs.20,000 crores annually.
