Rural Farmers to get
Hybrid Indian chicken to boost house hold incomes
By Prossy
Nandudu
Farmers in rural areas are to benefit from the newly
launched Kuroiler project to improve house hold income and the quality of their
life.
The project is being implemented by the National Animal
Genetic Resource
Center and Data bank (NAGRC&DB) in
collaboration with Arizona
State University
with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
Under the project, farmers will be able to get kuroiler
birds through their district production officers from the NAGRC&DB) at a
minimal fee.
The Kuroiler is a new breed of chicken from India that was launched in Uganda after
assessing its performance and discovering its potential through trials in 2011,
according to the executive director NAGRC&DB Dr.Daniel Semambo.
“We estimate that
each family with Kuroiler chickens will produce twice the amount of meat and
four times the number of eggs compared to local indigenous chickens,” said
Dr.Semambo.
Semambo added that they plan to carry out the hatchery from
their farm in Uganda
for farmers to get them easily unlike now where they have to book which takes
some time to the disappointment of many farmers.
The move will save farmers unscrupulous business men extort
money from farmers claiming that they sale Kuroiler birds. He insisted that
farmers should only buy Kuroiler birds from NAGRC with the help of district
production officers.
At the same function minister of state for agriculture in
charge of animal husbandry, Bright Rwamirama said the project will go a long
way in eradicating poverty and ensuring food security at household level.
“Because families with these birds will be producing more
meat and eggs, they will be able to generate over three times the income
typical for indigenous flocks,” explained Rwamirama.
Rwamirama said that the project will a help in fulfilling
some of the issues being addressed in the development and strategic plan of the
ministry agriculture animal industry and fisheries.
“The kuroiler which is a hybrid chicken is adaptable to our
rural setting and well suited to resource poor village environements,and
performs very well under scavenging management system,” said Rwamirama.
He added that hybrid chicken has been generically selected
to provide both meat and eggs and are able to survive and thrive on
agricultural and house hold waste, requiring no additional feed.
The minister also asked local leaders, NGOs and Community
based organizations to ensure that the project reaches and serves the local
targeted rural house holds.
Kuroiler chicken are currently being imported from Keggfarms
in India that are providing day old chicks, fertilized eggs and parent stock in
addition to providing guidance in breeding and improvement of the Kuroiler
birds.
End
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