Shillong, July 16: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has assured of working towards setting targets to bridge the demand-supply gap in animal husbandry sector while creating more livelihood avenues for farmers.
“We worked towards creating specific targets and goals, especially with regard to demand and supply, and on measures to reduce the gap between them,” Sangma said after holding a review of functioning of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary department.
The discussion centered on improving the department’s overall functioning and making it more outcome-oriented, he said.
Stating that the meeting took up strengthening of rural livelihoods and promoting entrepreneurship, Sangma said, “We also discussed how to enhance livelihood opportunities for our farmers, and how to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the sector and add value.”
He said the meeting deliberated on the kind of government intervention needed to support the sector.
Issues related to manpower shortages, feed supply, vaccination drives and veterinary infrastructure were also taken up.
“We looked into the support structure and systems required — whether it is manpower shortage in the department, supply of feed, vaccination programmes, and infrastructure like veterinary hospitals. All these aspects were discussed in detail,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that a follow-up review will be held soon to finalise the action plan.
“In the coming weeks, we will again review the plan of action and how we will move forward,” Sangma said.
