The Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) and the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) jointly have set up one of its kind state-of-the-art Poultry Training Center & Diagnostic Laboratory in Bengaluru. The Lab housed in KVAFSU campus will do pioneering research to do with promotion of poultry health.Inaugurating the Center, the Minister for Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, Mr. Prabhu Bamala Chavan assured the poultry sector that he would help remove any hurdles in the growth of the sector. Commending the Center for investment in modern technologies, he said the contribution of animal husbandry and fisheries to the GDP was growing.
Free courses for farmers and students
The Vice Chancellor of KVAFSU, Dr. K.C.Veeranna said that students of KVAFSU would be using the lab for research as this has specialized and most modern equipment. Also two batches of 30 farmers each will be undergoing training in poultry farm management and healthcare at the Center. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between KVAFSU and KPFBA on this wherein the latter will run the courses, free of charge for farmers and students.
The KPFBA President, Dr. B.Sushanth Rai said the laboratory equipped with ultra modern sophisticated equipment will help the poultry community in the state and elsewhere in monitoring disease outbreak as well work on managing the same. One of the features of the Lab is going to be its easy accessibility the poultry farmers who can get tests done here to confirm of any disease that may or may not have affected the farm. This, he added, would lead to better and efficient farm management practices and help in reducing chicken mortality rate.
Dr. Sushanth Rai said the Lab and the Training Center to be headed by a Scientist has the best of equipment. The Lab will have three sections – Microbiology, Pathology and Nutrition. The Lab and the Training Center is another fine example of academia and industry coming together to take the poultry sector to the next level.
