KOCHI: The efforts to improve the country’s food security have to be taken to the next level, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Thursday.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the 47th annual general meeting and the 56th national symposium of the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association of India (CLFMA).
The Chief Minister assured livestock feed manufacturers that the government would soon address the issue of high tax.
“The government will provide all the possible support to ensure food security in the country,” Chandy said.
On the occasion, KSE Limited chairman and managing director M C Paul, National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology former director C S Prasad, Pondicherry Veterinary College Dean D V Reddy and Central Institute of Fisheries Education HoD (Fish Nutrition) M P Sahu were presented with life-time achievement awards in recognition of their contributions to the animal feed sector.
Geneticist M S Swaminathan delivered the keynote address. The theme of this year’s symposium is ‘From Food to Nutrition Security - the Importance of Animal Protein’.
“The government supplies grains to the public. It should provide proteins as well. Though India stands first in milk production, the production of animals is very low,” pointed out CLFMA office-bearers.
“The recently-surfaced issue of use of antibiotics in feeds will also be discussed at the conference. The CLFMA has formed an ‘Antibiotic Working Group’ to prepare a white paper on it,” they added.