M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 9: 23 men and women tribal farmers got a pack of 15 ducklings each on Tuesday at a function held at Bendi in Latehar district on the occasion of World Tribal Day. The function was chaired by the Latehar DC Bhor Singh Yadav, a 2014 batch IAS officer.
Lagatar24.com correspondent this afternoon contacted him to know about ducklings’ distribution among the tribal farmers but Yadav in a hurry said, “Have the PRD number. Please ask the PRD. I am through a meeting.”
Lagatar24.com correspondent then phoned Latehar district animal husbandry officer Dr Deonath Chourasia.
Chourasia said the Latehar DC Bhor Singh Yadav today gave away ducklings to 23 tribal farmers, each having a pack of 15 ducklings. It is the most inexpensive scheme of the state animal husbandry department but its financial prospects for its recipients are quite high.
The duckery scheme comes for Rs 1,700. 90 per cent of this is born by the government while a beneficiary of ducklings is expected to spend just Rs 170 only on the medication etc of the pack of 15 ducklings which is also reimbursable.
On being asked as ducks can augment the economy of anyone be it a tribal or a non-tribal, the officer said in just one year, these ducklings which are all females will give around 275 to 300 eggs.
Ducks lay one egg per day. It is sold for a little over Rs 6 in the market.
“We have given Khaki Campbell variety of the ducklings as these are easy to get attuned to any surroundings,” Dr Deonath Chourasia said. A Lohardagga-based supplier provides ducklings to the Latehar district, according to sources.
“Duckery is very different from poultry farming but duckery is equally a profitable business to go ahead” he added.
