Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 12/19

ONE DAY BLOCK LEVEL LIVESTOCK MELA AT SAITSOHPEN

A One day Block Level “Livestock Mela” cum Workshop on the theme “Improving Livelihood through Livestock and Poultry Farming” was organized by the Office of the Sub-Divisional A.H. & Veterinary Officer, Sohra Sub-Division under the National Livestock Mission 2017-18 at Saitsohpen Community Hall, Sohra on the 11th of January 2019. Dr. Donkupar Roy, Speaker, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The programme was also attended by Shri. A. S. Mukhim, BDO Shella Bholaganj C & RD Block, Smt. J. Umdor, EAC, Sohra, Dr. K. B. Sahkhar, Deputy Director, A.H. & Veterinary Department, Officers from the A.H. & Veterinary Department, Officers from the Sohra Sub-Division and more than 100 farmers from villages under the Shella Bholaganj C&RD Block. The programme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the National Livestock Mission 2017-18. The objective of the mela is to identify and reach out to various citizens engaged in livestock farming so as to provide them with a platform to showcase their work and also to interact with other farmers and share their success stories. It also aims to recognize the outstanding achievements of various livestock farmers through the presentation of livestock awards which will serve as an inspiration to other aspiring farmers to take up the same efficiently and productively. The programme was chaired by Dr. B. K. Mawthoh, Sub-Divisional A.H. & Veterinary Officer, Sohra Sub-Division.

In his address, the Chief Guest, Dr. Donkupar Roy, expressed his gratitude to the A.H. & Veterinary Department for organising the mela and said that such programmes will prove to be beneficial to the people of the region in particular the ones who aspire to take up livestock farming. He fondly recalled how his interest in Livestock farming was initiated by his father when as a young boy he would be given the responsibility to look after the livestock in his family. He said that many a time when people observe any particular work, the same appears easy however it is only by actually going through the experience of doing it that we encounter various problems and difficulties. One of the difficulties in Livestock Farming is the high cost of Livestock feed. The situation is further aggravated as the farmers would have to sell their products at a very low cost due to the large control of the market by suppliers from outside the state. “This is one of the problems which we in the present government need to address”, he stated. He further stated that we need to discourage the large scale import of livestock from outside and instead put in more efforts to raise the standards and productivity of the local farmers. He added that personally he was in favour of increasing the tax on imported goods as one of the solutions to address this problem. He reiterated that only through reduction in imports of livestock will the local farmers have a market for their products as presently it is very difficult to compete with imported goods. He also suggested the idea of having a farm attached to every Veterinary dispensary. In this way the Department will have a better insight into the various issues and problems plaguing the different livestock farmers and through their interactions they will have a better understanding of how to plan and focus their technical training sessions and workshops so as to address the problems faced by the livestock farmers. He concluded that it is only through this collective sharing of issues and problems experienced by both Veterinary Officers and Farmers alike, that a comprehensive and long lasting solution to the problems can be arrived at. He urged the farmers present to make full use of the knowledge imparted during the workshop so as to help them increase livestock and poultry production. Later, he handed out awards to different outstanding Livestock farmers under the Shella Bholaganj C & RD Block.

Others who spoke on the occasion were Shri. A. S. Mukhim, BDO Shella Bholaganj C & RD Block, Dr. K. B. Sahkhar, Deputy Director, A.H. & Veterinary Department, Smt. A. Badwar, Outstanding Farmer, Laitkynsew and Dr. M. Khongngain, A.H. & Veterinary Officer, Shella Bholaganj C & RD Block. Besides the stalls from the A.H. & Veterinary Department various stalls were put up by different line departments like Agriculture, Horticulture etc. during the Mela, where different livestock were showcased as well as dairy and agricultural products. Later in the day, a Technical session was conducted by Officers from the A.H. & Veterinary Department and Cooperative Department.