Port Blair, July 18: ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair conducted a field day on Mini feed mill for preparation of low cost balanced feed for rural poultry on 17.07.2021 under the Chairmanship of Dr.E.B.Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair in commemoration of Bharat ka Amrit Mahotsav- India@75.
It was organized to help rural farmers to produce their own poultry feed with locally available feed ingredients to reduce the feed cost. A total of 13 farmers including 8 farm women and youths attended the programme. Dr.E.B.Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CIARI interacted with the farmers and appraised about the importance of balanced feed with mineral and vitamins supplementation for poultry.
He advised farmers to be self-sufficient in the availability of feed for rural poultry and asked to avail the facility of mini feed mill as incubation centre for production of rural poultry feed. He said that this mini feed mill unit will help farmers to produce balanced poultry feed with locally available feed ingredients to augment rural poultry feed production on famers participatory and team mode.
Dr.D.Bhattacharya, Head (I/c), Animal Science Division briefed about importance of vaccination with supplementation of indigenous herbal extracts. He advised farmers to vaccinate rural poultry along with herbal supplements to boost up the immunity of birds.
Dr.T.Sujatha, explained about the balanced feed with locally available ingredients. Subsequently, all the required feed ingredients such as maize, groundnut cake, sunflower cake, coconut oil cake, rice bran, dry fish, shell grit and vitamin mineral mixture were shown to farmers and demonstration was done on grinding and mixing of these ingredients at approximate proportion to prepare the poultry feed. Farmers expressed their interest to prepared poultry feed availing this facility. During the programme, the scientific team of Dr.Jai Sunder, Dr.S.K.Zamir Ahmed, Dr.Y.Ramakrishnan, Dr.P.A.Bala, Dr.A.K.De, Dr.P.P.Perumal and Dr.R.R.Alyethodi were present.
