Tripura claims to be self-sufficient in Meat Production; sets target for egg production

Tripura asserted on Friday that it was now self-sufficient in the production of meat and that it planned to do the same for eggs over the next four to five years.

However, despite the fact that its Animal Resource Development Department (ARDD) reported significant progress in raising female cows with the use of artificial insemination, the state with an estimated 400 billion people has yet to set any objective for meeting the goal of milk production.

Addressing a press conference the ARDD Minister, Bhagaban Das in presence of the ARDD secretary Tarun Kanti Debnath and director Dilip Kumar Chakma said, “Since 2018 there has been an uprising graph in the production of meat, egg, and milk production in Tripura as the state government wants to make the state self-sufficient in all sectors. 

"At present, we are producing more meat than what is required for our people and as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), prescribed per head consumption,” added Bhagaban Das.

Quoting departmental data Das added, “The total annual demand for meat in Tripura on a date is 49.85 metric tonnes and at a rate of 13.40 Kg per head per year while our production is 54.09 metric tonnes.

Our annual growth rate in meat is 3.66 percent and 33 percent of the meat came from pigs while the rest from goats, poultry birds, and other sources.“

However, the Minister viewed that due to the Covid since 2020 the production of meat, eggs, and milk to some extent was affected but due to the active role of the department thing are again picking up fast.

“In egg, we are still dependent on import as the annual demand is 51.26 crores annual while our production is 31.91 crores and with an annual growth of 5.24 percent we are hopeful to be self-sufficient in this sector also by next four to five years time period as we have a new policy for augmenting egg production,” said Bhagaban Das.