Srinagar, Sep 28: Jammu and Kashmir’s poultry industry is under growing pressure as local production has declined sharply, prompting the Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) to seek Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s intervention for a time-bound policy response to restore the viability of local poultry farms.
FCIK has warned that continued erosion of indigenous poultry production could lead to the loss of substantial local investment, employment and entrepreneurial capacity, while making Jammu and Kashmir increasingly dependent on poultry supplies from outside the Union Territory.
The Federation said the poultry sector had earlier shown that J&K could substantially reduce its dependence on outside supplies with appropriate policy support.
According to poultry industry representatives, local production had increased from around 15 per cent of total consumption to more than 85 per cent during a period when supportive measures, including a Rs.9-per-kg levy on incoming poultry, helped offset the higher production costs faced by local farmers.
However, FCIK said the subsequent withdrawal of the protective mechanism, without an effective alternative policy framework, reversed much of that progress. Industry representatives now estimate that local production accounts for only around 15–20 per cent of total poultry consumption in J&K.
The Federation said the decline could not be attributed simply to competition from poultry coming into J&K. Local producers, it said, face a structural cost disadvantage because they remain dependent on outside sources for day-old chicks, feed and other essential inputs.
Poultry farmers in Kashmir also face additional costs associated with climatic conditions, transportation and mortality, while large integrated poultry companies operating outside the UT benefit from economies of scale through captive hatcheries, breeder farms, feed mills, processing facilities and established marketing networks.
FCIK said the resulting cost differential was placing increasing pressure on local entrepreneurs who had invested heavily in land, poultry sheds, machinery and equipment.
A growing number of farmers, it said, were either shutting down their operations or being pushed towards contract rearing in establishments they had themselves created.
The Federation said it was not opposed to contract farming as a business model but maintained that contractual arrangements should be fair, transparent and subject to appropriate regulation.
It called for safeguards against one-sided contractual conditions relating to feed conversion ratios, mortality, placement of chicks, payment schedules and other commercial risks that could disproportionately affect farmers.
FCIK has proposed constitution of a high-powered expert committee under the concerned Minister to examine the problems confronting the sector and prepare a time-bound Poultry Revival and Development Plan for Jammu and Kashmir.
The proposed committee, according to the Federation, should include representatives of the concerned Government departments, Animal Husbandry Department, J&K Bank, SKUAST-K, FCIK and poultry farmers.
The committee could examine measures to create a level playing field for local producers within the applicable legal and policy framework, besides identifying gaps across the poultry supply chain.
FCIK has specifically called for development of hatcheries, breeder farms, feed mills and processing facilities within J&K so that local producers are less dependent on supplies from outside.
It has also sought stronger veterinary, bio-security and food-safety checks on incoming poultry, regulation of contract farming, financial restructuring for viable stressed farms and affordable working-capital support for existing entrepreneurs.
The Federation said the Government’s plans to expand poultry farming could help strengthen the sector, but cautioned that establishing new units alone would not resolve the underlying problems.
“It would be anomalous to incentivise the creation of hundreds of new poultry units while entrepreneurs who already possess land, sheds, equipment, experience and established infrastructure are unable to operate viably,” FCIK said.
It maintained that revival of existing farms and establishment of new units should form part of a single, integrated poultry-development strategy.
The Federation has proposed rebuilding the entire poultry value chain within J&K, covering day-old chicks, feed, breeding, farming, processing and marketing.
According to FCIK, developing this ecosystem would reduce dependence on outside supplies while creating opportunities for investment, employment and entrepreneurship within the Union Territory.
The Federation has also urged the Chief Minister to convene a focused meeting involving all stakeholders and establish measurable targets for increasing J&K’s share in its own poultry consumption.
FCIK said the earlier increase in local production demonstrated that the sector could become substantially more self-reliant when supported by appropriate policy measures.
It said the immediate priority should be to prevent further closure of existing farms, protect productive assets already created by local entrepreneurs and restore the economic viability of poultry production.
“Jammu & Kashmir has already demonstrated its capacity to move close to self-sufficiency in poultry production. What was achieved once can be achieved again,” FCIK said.
The Federation maintained that a coordinated revival strategy would have implications beyond the poultry industry, supporting employment, local investment, entrepreneurship and food security while reducing J&K’s dependence on external supplies.
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