Training programmes for farmers at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Madur, Karaikal district, are set to expand to include orientations on chicken breeding and dairy farming techniques.
Foundation for a native chicken breeding centre and a model dairy farm were laid on Monday by Puducherry Agriculture Minister Kamalakannan and Development Commissioner Anbarasu.
The native chicken breeding centre was necessitated by the shift in consumption pattern of the people with broilers not being preferred for health reasons.
The KVK would advocate semi-free range rearing of the chicken hatched at the poultry breeding centre and given to farmers, said J. Senthil Kumar, Agriculture Officer, Karaikal, and KVK Programme Coordinator in-Charge.
Likewise, the model dairy farm would also play an effective role in increasing the income of farmers, as training in milk products would be imparted, he said.
Modern methods
Not less than 4,000 farmers received training every year at the KVK on a 60-acre expanse, with a farm, a seed production centre for horticulture and agriculture crops, a coconut grove, an orchard, and a fisheries breeding centre. Farmers were trained in modern technologies, including hydrophonic system of cultivation, at the KVK.
Mr. Anbarasu initiated the renovation of the meeting hall at a cost of ₹44 lakh. The hall, with a capacity to accommodate 100 trainees, would have air-conditioning systems and audio-visual apparatus.
Mr. Anbarasu advocated scaling up of income generation through putting the entire available space in the KVK campus to profitable use. From the current level of ₹15 lakh per year, the income generation must be scaled up by four times at the rate of one lakh rupees per acre, Mr. Anbarasu said.
