Agriculture Status: Poultry, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry May Soon Get Agricultural Status Across India! Centre Seeks Reports, Major Meeting Expected
As a result, they do not receive the benefits and subsidies that farmers engaged in crop cultivation enjoy. Even electricity tariffs and tax rates differ between the two sectors.
Recognizing this disparity, the Central Government has initiated steps toward granting “agricultural status” to these allied sectors. A major policy-level decision may soon follow.
Centre Seeks Report from Maharashtra
Currently, poultry, fisheries, and animal husbandry have not been classified as part of agriculture nationwide. This means farmers in these sectors miss out on key government schemes and subsidies available to crop farmers.
Recently, the Central Government has sought a detailed report from Maharashtra on this matter. According to sources, the Centre is planning to hold a major meeting with agriculture ministers of all states to discuss this issue further.
Maharashtra was specifically asked for a report because of the progressive steps the state government has already taken in this direction.
Maharashtra’s Example: The Benefits of Agricultural Status
In July, the Maharashtra Government provided significant relief to those engaged in poultry, fisheries, and animal husbandry. The decision ensures that livestock-based activities are now treated as agricultural activities, granting several key benefits to dairy farmers, poultry owners, and livestock rearers.
Key Benefits Include:
- Electricity: Farmers will now be charged agricultural electricity tariffs instead of higher commercial rates.
- Local Taxes: Local body taxes will be levied at the same rates as for agriculture.
- Loans and Subsidies: Easier access to loan subsidies and solar energy subsidies under agricultural terms.
- Solar Installations: Eligibility for solar pumps and solar equipment with agricultural subsidies.
- Interest Subsidy: Livestock farmers will now qualify for up to 4% interest relief on animal husbandry loans through schemes like the Pandit Punjab Rao Deshmukh Interest Subsidy Scheme.
Sector-wise Impact
- Poultry Sector: Relief will benefit units like 25,000-capacity broiler farms, 50,000-capacity layer farms, and 45,000-capacity hatcheries, helping meet growing domestic demand for chicken, eggs, and chicks.
- Dairy and Livestock Sector: Farms with up to 100 cows or buffaloes, 500 sheep or goats, or 200 pigs will now enjoy agricultural electricity rates instead of higher “non-agricultural” rates.
National Demand: Poultry Federation of India Speaks Out
The Poultry Federation of India (PFI) has welcomed Maharashtra’s initiative, describing it as a positive and much-needed step for the welfare of poultry farmers and livestock owners. The federation emphasized that granting agricultural status to these sectors is essential for boosting production and expanding export opportunities.
It has urged the Central Government to adopt Maharashtra’s model nationwide, extending agricultural status to poultry, fisheries, and animal husbandry sectors in order to promote their growth and strengthen the rural economy.
Conclusion
The Central Government’s recent actions have sparked hope among millions of livestock, poultry, and fisheries farmers across the country. If these sectors receive official “agricultural status”, it could open the door to equal benefits, lower costs, and greater financial support, bringing them at par with traditional farmers and empowering India’s rural economy.
