Port Blair, May 11: The total poultry population in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 12,83,746. Out of which 7,83,468 (61%) belong to desi poultry and 5,00,278(39%) are of improved varieties. There are more than 35 numbers of small scale poultry farms of vanaraja poultry are present in South Andaman and rural poultry (25-30 numbers of unit size) is of integral part of farming system in these islands. The capacity of poultry farm ranges from 50 to 500 numbers. This survey data shows the significant role of rural poultry with both desi and improved poultry in the economic and nutritional security of small scale rural poultry farmers of these Islands. However, scope for taking up small scale poultry farming with rural poultry and vanaraja is declining in South Andaman due to constraint of feed. Poultry feeding is the major component in the management of poultry farming. Feeding attributes 70 to 75 per cent to the total production cost of poultry. Considering the number of farms and their capacity, a total of 2.0 to 2.5 tons of poultry feed is required per day to cater the need for rural poultry feed in South Andaman. The major constraint in scientific farming with rural and improved poultry such as vanaraja is the compound feed. There are few large scales feed manufacturer locally in South Andaman which caters the need of poultry farming and the feed cost is very high which inturn increases production cost. Hence, need based specific program was taken by ICAR-CIARI to meet out the feed requirements of rural poultry in South Andaman to improve the production of small scale poultry farming. A standardized least cost feed including locally available feed ingredients has been formulated by Scientific team of Dr.T.Sujatha, Dr.P.A.Bala, Dr.D.Bhattacharya, Dr.Jai Sunder and Dr.A.K.De, Division of Animal Science, ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair for scientific feeding of vanaraja and rural poultry. Subsequently, mini feed mill, the resource for manufacturing rural poultry feed has been established at Livestock Farm Complex, ICAR-CIARI under funding of NABARD, Port Blair to establish small scale poultry feed production unit. This mini feed mill unit will empower farmer to produce balanced poultry feed with locally available feed ingredients to augment rural poultry feed production on famers participatory mode. This unit will also facilitate farmer to establish their own poultry feed production unit to augment their socio economic status. Many SHGs are invited to avail this facility as incubation centre to generate self employment through production of rural poultry feed and other livestock feed as well. If they are empowered in preparation of balanced rural poultry feed using mini feed mill, rural poultry farming will be the sustainable resource for livelihood security. There is a great potentiality of improving the rural poultry farming in South Andaman.
