Workshop Participants with the Chief Guest

The Regional workshop for Sarpang, Dagana, Tsirang, Chukha and Samtse Dzongkhags on poultry and piggery development strategies was held at Tsirang from 2 to 7 of November 2009.  It was organized by the Department of Livestock (DoL), funded by the EU-Livestock Project. The opening of the workshop was chaired by the Dasho Dzonrab of Tsirang Dzongkhag Administration. There were 40 participants comprising Dzongkhag Livestock Officers, Farm Managers, progressive farmers of 5 Dzongkhags, Extension Agents, representatives from Karma Feed & Satara Poultry & Feed and officials from the Department.  The main focus of the workshop included the following: -

Ø  To identify the potential areas of poultry and piggery industry in the country so that these enterprise would thrive as one of means to fulfil the OGTP goals set by the DoL,  Ministry of Agriculture in 10^th Five Year Plan.

Ø  To come up with a concrete proposal or strategy involving active participation of progressive farmers, Extension and Dzongkhags planners, Private Poultry and Piggery entrepreneurs, private Feed Agencies and other relevant stakeholders.  The constraints and solution finding will be their own priority programs in their respective regions and area of interests (participatory approach)

 Poultry back yard in Tsirang

Ø The outcome of the workshop endorsed, the implementation modalities are developed and executed by farmers in the Dzongkhags where the technical backstopping will be done by Central Programs and Department

Ø  The workshop focused on technical aspects of poultry and piggery rearing and products marketing including the arrangements of inputs (birds, feed, raw materials for processing plant, vaccines, drugs availability) for farmers and capacity building for extension staff and training for farmers

  Piggery back yard in Tsirang

 Ø To overcome the limited supply of broiler DoC (day old chicks) from India and Nepal and less space available in Druk Air to lift the DoCs or fertile eggs from these neighbouring States

Ø  To address the high cost of feed and limited agents available in the regions that affected the progressive poultry and piggery rearing farmers in the Dzongkhags

Ø  To tackle the uncertainty in getting inputs (Central Farms) required for continued production, lack of basic facilities for processing and therefore affecting quality of products, and uncertainty in poultry and piggery marketing products in the long run

 Eggs produced by Tsirang poultry back yard farmers  

The Department of Livestock will organise this sort of workshops in all the regions in future, whereby the review of all these programs will be done and visit the lessons learned for another successful OGTP planning.

Reported by: Nar Bahadur Rai, Deputy Chief Livestock Officer, DoL