CHENNAI: Newcastle disease is one of the most common contagious diseases that affect poultry birds with a mortality rate as high as 90%. It often gets transmitted to workers who handle infected birds, leaving them with symptoms of conjunctivitis.High doses of avian vaccine had been used for more than 60 years, without much effect.

To protect poultry birds from Ranikhet disease, the Department of Animal Husbandry, Vellore is conducting a two-week intensive vaccination campaign from February 9 to 22.

Indian poultry sector is growing at 8-10 per cent per annum and the country stands 5th in egg production and 18th in broiler production globally, Agriculture Minister RadhaMohan Singh said today. 

PUNE: Even as the maize prices are expected to remain stable after a correction in response to the imports being undertaken by state trading company PEC, trade veterans think that the industry has a short window of two months to get import allocations for 2016-17 from the government in order to keep the prices cool during the rest of the year. 

Due to the prevailing weather, feed intake will not be higher in poultry and egg production will be at normal level.

NEW DELHI / KOLKATA: India's domestic broiler meat demand is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5%-7% in volumes in the long term while table egg sales would grow 4%-5% a year, says a new report by credit rating agency ICRA. 

KOCHI:  The Poultry Entrepreneurship Training Programme for livestock farmers in Lakshadweep began at the Directorate of Entrepreneurship under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Mannuthy, on Monday.

A poultry entrepreneurship training programme for the farmers of Lakshadweep began at the Directorate of Entrepreneurship of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Mannuthy, on Monday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday announced its retailpolicy — the first state to do so. It offered greater flexibility in labour laws pertaining to working hours for ease of doing business in the retail sector. 

NEW DELHI: With maize production likely to drop for the second straight year due to drought, the government has allowed state-owned PEC to import 5,00,000 tonnes of maize at zero duty to meet starch and poultry industry's demand. 

Incredible as it may sound, the fact is that maize has beaten most other food crops, including wheat and rice, in terms of growth in production and productivity, especially in recent years. Much of this growth is technology-driven although expansion in crop area and better crop management have also contributed to it. Around 65 per cent of the area under maize is now used to cultivate hybrids, including various types of speciality produce such as sweetcorn, popcorn, baby corn and protein-upgraded corn called quality protein maize (QPM). Growers get higher returns for these types of corn. Improvements in the economics of maize cultivation seem imminent in coming years, thanks to present research strategies to enhance the quality of its protein, raise its beta-carotene (vitamin A) content and impart greater inbuilt resistance to it against diseases and weather-induced stresses such as drought.

The Indian government seems to have been making all out efforts to protect domestic poultry sector from US imports ahead of the June-2016 deadline for removing restrictions on the entry of these products.

With foggy weather likely to increase the feed intake in layer poultry, farmers were asked to keep the energy content at a higher level and refrain from use of high moisture maize.

NEW DELHI- India will soon ask state-run traders to import half a million tonnes of duty-free cornafter a second straight drought cut output, in what would be the country's first overseas purchase in 16 years, two government sources said on Thursday.

Mushrooming of hatcheries across the country has led to increase in production of layer birds that led to increase in egg production. However, due to drop in wholesale price of eggs, most of the poultry owners face huge loss every year, R. Nallathambi, president, Tamil Nadu Egg Poultry Farmers Association said here on Sunday.

The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) is preparing to launch poultry and goat entrepreneurship development training programme for entrepreneurs of Lakshadweep.

Pulwama:Poultry unit holders in south Kashmiri’s Pulwama district today accused State’s animal husbandry department of denying them vaccines for various viral infections in poultry.