By IANS
Kolkata : German wholesale outlet major Metro Cash and Carry (MCC) Monday launched a training programme for West Bengal's sheep and goat farmers to enhance their productivity.
MCC's training programme will cover over 12,000 farmers in eight districts of south Bengal.
After inaugurating the programme, West Bengal Animal Resource Development (ARD) Minister Anisur Rahman said: "We have enough opportunities in allied sectors of agriculture, especially in animal resources and fisheries, but Bengal still has a shortfall in procuring milk, meat and egg."
Emphasising on the need for such training, Rahman said the state government has already started a pilot project in two districts of south Bengal.
"These projects would help to expand the market for the farmers where they would be able to sell their agricultural products," he said.
The training by MCC would impart knowledge to all sheep and goat farmers on vaccination and de-worming procedures and give them wider exposures in the business.
MCC is coming up with their first store in Kolkata but the project was delayed by legal tangles, Gerardo Monzillo, deputy director of MCC, told reporters.
"We have a plan to set up two other stores in Kolkata in the days to come. But that would depend on the requirement of our customers," he said.
"As of now, MCC has issued license to over 8,000 registered customers for business transactions in West Bengal," said Monzillo, adding that the company would soon commence a training programme for fishermen in Frazergunj in South 24-Parganas.
"In animal husbandry we have to focus on artificial breeding, reducing immortality rate and degeneration among sheep. We will also have to develop two breeds like Garole sheep and Black Bengal goat for procuring better meat in our state," Rahman said.
He said local panchayats and self-help groups would be involved to facilitate the transactions between MCC and the farmers.
The minister said the requirement of meat in West Bengal is 900,000 million tonnes whereas the total procurement is only 600,000 million tonnes.