Shillong: As part of the celebration of the 100 Days Festival, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary organised a Livestock and Poultry Fair at the State Central Library premises here on Thursday.
A variety of poultry and dairy products were on display at the various stalls set up by farmers participating in the event which was held under the theme “Livestock and Poultry Rearing for Food Security”.
Addressing the gathering in the first of its kind fair in the State, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Deborah Marak urged the farmers to work harder to increase production to meet the State’s growing demand.
The farming community, she felt, should pull up its socks to meet the shortfall of meat and eggs in the State.
According to Marak, the State’s production of about 1049 lakh eggs and 822 lakh litres of milk during 2013-14 did not meet its consumption demand forcing it to import the items from outside.
She pointed out that the shortage provided an opportunity to the farmers and the educated unemployed youths of the State to turn to livestock and poultry farming as a profitable means of livelihood.
The Minister added that her department is doing a great job in bringing the various programmes to the masses which will help and guide the farmers in their future endeavours. She also highlighted about the opportunities relating to the entrepreneurship programmes and encouraged the educated unemployed youth of the State to make use of such initiatives.
The inaugural session of the event was followed by a technical session where topics like “Clean Milk Production” and “Hygienic and Wholesome Meat” were discussed. An interactive session was also organised for farmers.
