Would you please briefly introduce how the association was started and the people who headed it?
The journey of the KPFBA began in the year 1991 after initial years of struggle informally, founded by visionary leaders who saw the potential of the poultry sector and the need for a united front to drive its growth. The association was founded as the Karnataka Hatcheries Association [KHA] which was later renamed as the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association [KPFBA].
Many leaders have presided over the association in the past, steering us through challenging times and guiding us toward greater success. Their unwavering commitment to the betterment of the poultry industry has been instrumental in its progress. The previous presidents were:
- Mr. David J Lobo – DeeJay Farms
- Mr. Nanda Kumar – Komarla Hatcheries (Nanda Group)
- Mr. Sriharireddy – Lotus Farms
- Mr. MCR Shetty – Nutri Feeds & Farms Pvt Ltd
- Mr. K.S Ashok Kumar – Maa Integrators
- Mr. K.S Akhilesh Babu – Komarla Group
- Dr B Sushanth Rai – Raison Nutrition
Dr Sushanth – the first veterinarian to become the President of this august association Aug. 2019 to Oct. 2023, what milestones have the association achieved under your tenure?
There have been multiple but I would like to highlight the following three significant ones:
- 11 August 2021, when KPFBA entered a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka Veterinary and Animal Science University (KVAFSU) in Bangalore. This collaboration led to the establishment of the KVAFSU-KPFBA Poultry Training Centre and Diagnostic Laboratory. This state-of-the-art facility serves as a hub for poultry training, scientific research, clinical trials, disease management, and education. It aims to empower poultry breeders, farmers, and KVAFSU students. The center is poised to support field trials and research endeavors throughout Karnataka, while also nurturing partnerships with like-minded organizations.
On 25 May 2023 KPFBA entered into a memorandum of understanding with The Indian Council of Agricultural Research – National Institute of Animal Nutrition & Physiology (ICAR-NIANP) to further collaborative research in the field of poultry sciences. - On 25 October 2023 KPFBA entered into a memorandum of understanding with ICAR-Central Avian Research Institute (ICAR-CARI), Izatnagar, to further collaborative research in the field of poultry sciences.
The association is actively involving experts from various institutions for 360-degree growth of the poultry sector. With a steadfast focus on bridging the manpower gap in the poultry sector, KPFBA is actively engaged in training farmers, farm supervisors, managers, and entrepreneurs and inducting programs for aspiring poultry farmers and students who are planning to pursue careers in the poultry sector.
Mr Pasuparthy, congratulations on the presidency. Please share your thoughts on the growth of the poultry industry and future plans of the association.
The last 5-year history indicates that the poultry farming profession has just not been volatile but violently volatile. Our profession carries huge responsibility for the well-being & welfare of all suppliers, bankers, vendors, independent poultry farmers, contract poultry farmers, crop agriculture farmers, and employees working in poultry companies.
This journey also made us realize & reconcile to the fact that one cannot eliminate another firm & so the importance of working together with grace, maturity, transparency & dignity making our profession respectable & profitable to all stakeholders. Profitable poultry farming comes from stable live bird prices. This builds capital reserves for the firms, which can be invested into automation, innovation & hiring the right talent.
This will help firms in creating business models that help them reach end consumers directly for higher realizations thereby further increasing the companies’ stability & making poultry farming attractive & sustainable. As an association, we have the following plans:
- Work closely with the state government, central government & FSSAI on all policy-making issues.
- Build training & orientation models with organizations like CPDO & others for a continuous supply of skilled manpower to our profession.
- Build tighter working relationships with other state poultry associations like PFI, BCC, etc across the country.
- Build good working relationships with agriculture & veterinary universities, IVPI, VIP & associations like CLFMA, Soya Processors Association, BioTech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), etc.
- Adopt more technology in data gathering, demand & supply estimations for poultry farming.
Last but not least, we as poultry experts, must invest in educating our consumers about poultry as a safe & sustainable source of protein. By investing in marketing campaigns, we must build consumer trust in our produce & dispelling myths & misunderstandings that are largely painting a negative image of our produce.
