Intake-output trends and growth rates in trained veterinary manpower in India suggest that, the growth rate of the graduate manpower is not commensurate with growth rates of either livestock sector or poultry sector.
A lead paper on ‘Clean and Green Poultry production' presented by P. V. K. Sasidhar, Associate Professor, School of Extension and Development Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, at the Annual Conference of the Indian Poultry Science Association and National Symposium at College of Avian Sciences and Management of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Thiruvazhamkunnu in Kerala, stressed the need for starting polytechnic colleges to cater to the technical manpower needs of the poultry sector at the lower level.
Poultry science education departments and research institutes have played an important role in the transformation and development of India’s poultry sector.
Veterinary graduates constitute major technical manpower to manage middle level technical and administrative positions in the poultry sector. There are about 2,530 million chickens as per recent poultry statistics.
At the rate of one veterinarian / million birds, about 2,530 veterinarians are required for the poultry industry alone in India. It was estimated that about 2,050 veterinarians are working in the private poultry sector.
Employment In the government and public sector undertakings almost 43,000 veterinarians are employed. Out of them at least 10 per cent are working in poultry related fields.
Therefore, the total numbers of veterinarians working in private and public poultry sectors are approximately 6,350 on full time basis.
Currently, 200 veterinarians are joining the poultry sector every year.
In the next decade as compared with the poultry production sector, the equipment, poultry pharmaceutical industries, poultry processing industries, egg powder plants, value addition, packaging, marketing and exports are likely to increase substantially, which would require more number of poultry veterinarians for quality control, certification etc.
The poultry sector also needs technical, diploma and certificate holders to work as farm supervisors, hatchery and feed mill operators, processors, chick sexers, artificial inseminators, vaccinators, debeakers and the like.
Growth rate With a minimum expected growth rate of 10 per cent per annum in the sector, poultry sector alone needs 708 and 1,140 veterinary graduates in 2015 and 2020, respectively.
Skill gap is a big issue in the poultry industry in the country, Dr. Sasidhar added.
In order to fill this gap Directorate of Entrepreneurship of KVASU will formulate skill development programmes in association with Agriculture sector skill council of India, said Dr. T. P. Sethumadhavan, Director of Entrepreneurship , KVASU.
(wymnj@thehindu.co.in)
