From the MD’s Desk

West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited (WBLDCL) was established in the year 1974 and registered under Companies act, 1956 under registration number- CIN U01211WB1974SGC029356. The Corporation has been merged with erstwhile Dairpoul (W.B. Dairy & Poultry Development Corporation Ltd.) w.e.f. 1^st April, 2018. The Corporation is under the administrative control of Animal Resources Development Department, Govt. of West Bengal. The management of the Corporation vests on its Board of Directors in terms of its Article of Association. The annual turnover of the Corporation is close to 200 crores.

The corporation deals with production, processing and marketing of different species meat (both as fresh-chilled and frozen form) and value-added meat products under the brand name of Haringhata®. This brand’s variety of meat and meat products such as sausage, nugget, popcorn, ham, bacon, salami, cutlet, kebab etc. are very popular and widely enjoyed by the foodies.

Haringhata Meat is the pioneer in initiating the production and marketing of different non-conventional meats in West Bengal. It is producing and marketing low-calorie quail meat, popular turkey meat, duck meat, rabbit meat and the famous Vanaraja Chicken meat.

Recently, the corporation has introduced marketing of Haringhata Fish with a variety of fish products such as fish fry, fish finger, fish ball etc. and has gained popularity in a quick span.

For production & processing of meat & meat products, the Corporation possesses three FSSAI, ISO-22000:2018, HACCP, EIA/EIC and APEDA certified plants within the geographical premises of Haringhata Meat Plant viz. one modern semi-automatic chicken processing unit having capacity of 22 MT chicken per day, one pork processing unit having capacity of 15 MT pork and pork products per week and one sheep as well as goat meat processing unit with a capacity of 2.5 MT per day. Besides, one chicken and pork meat processing plant with a capacity of 15 MT chicken and 3.5 MT pork production per day is running at Phansidewa, Darjeeling district to cater to the needs of entire area of North Bengal alongwith neighbouring states.

The corporation is producing and marketing animal, poultry and fish feeds under the brand name of ‘EPIC’ from its four feed plants with a total capacity of 275 MT per day at different locations in Kalyani, Salbani, Gajole and Siliguri. Recently, in addition to these, two modern automatic poultry feed plants of 200 MT per day capacity in each plant are established at Matigara, Siliguri and Kalyani, Nadia.

Besides production and marketing of meat and animal feed, West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited is also engaged in the production, processing, packaging and marketing of non-meat products i.e. ghee, honey, mustard oil, spices etc.

The corporation has now introduced packaged drinking water- ‘Haringhata Blue’.

WBLDCL’s more than 1000 dealer and franchise outlets help supplying ‘Haringhata’ and ‘EPIC’ products to its customers.

In the line of diversification, the Corporation is maintaining different farms under Animal Resources Development Department, Govt. of West Bengal:

• Pig Breeding Farm at Haringhata, Nadia (2000 fatteners per year),
• Broiler Breeding Farm at Jatiakali, Jalpaiguri (one crore day-old broiler chicks per annum),
• Commercial Poultry Layer Farms at Kalyani, Nadia (18 crore eggs per annum), Mekhliganj, Coochbehar (9 crore eggs per annum), Haringhata, Nadia (9 crore eggs per annum), Malda (9 crore eggs per annum),
• Duck Breeding Farm at Kalyani, Nadia (10 lakh day-old ducklings per annum),
• Goat Breeding Farm at Haringhata, Nadia (1000 parent goats),
• Layer Breeding Farm at Saltora, Bankura (30,000 layer breeder) etc.

Recently, Centre for Laboratory Animal Research and Training (CLART) has been developed at Buddhapark, Kalyani, Nadia under the aegis of WBLDCL with the approval of the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India with the objective of production, research and training on laboratory animals. CLART is equipped with modern and sophisticated instruments at par with latest advancements of the scientific world. It is a preclinical and biological Contract Research Organization (CRO) which provides quality research services and training as well as supply of different laboratory animals like rabbit, mice, rat, guineapig, zebrafish for research purposes. It aims to research for education purpose, research for commercial purpose, breeding of laboratory animals for in-house use as well as for the purpose of trade. CLART has different laboratory services i.e. custom antibody productions, research on different diseases (like cancer, diabetes, obesity, ulcers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, wounds, infectious diseases, etc.)  in animal models, drug development, preclinical toxicity studies and so on. Thus, Pharmacology, biocompatibility/ biological reactivity of Pharmaceuticals, Bio-Pharma, Agrochemicals, Herbal, Nutraceutical and many more scientific fields are benefited.

The Corporation also runs a modern residential training centre named Academy of Animal Resources and Management (AARM) at Haringhata, Nadia to impart training on various modules of Animal Husbandry.

In hospitality segment, the corporation owns Subhokhon Guest House and Banquet Hall at Kolkata and North Point Guest House at Siliguri. WBLDCL also possesses Kaviar Restaurant chain.

In addition to these, the Corporation is developing many projects. The projects are:

• One automatic chicken meat processing plant at Haringhata,
• Two commercial poultry layer farms, each with a capacity of three lakh poultry layer birds, at Purulia and Salboni,
• Five bio-methanation plants at different poultry farms utilizing poultry manure to convert it into organic compost,
• One poultry premix feed plant and laboratory animal feed plant at Kalyani, Nadia,
• One rendering plant for chicken waste at Haringhata, Nadia,
• One modern pig breeding farm at Ramsai, Jalpaiguri.

The Corporation is operating Broiler Integration Programme in fourteen districts of West Bengal and it is gaining popularity due to employment generation and assured income. It stabilizes the supply chain of live broiler birds. Through this backward linkage system, operational at both South and North Bengal, around 1800 farmers are now directly brought under the integration facility and are being benefitted in a prudent way of self-employment.

Pig integration and duck integration programmes under the banner of WBLDCL are also gaining momentum as all these are directly linked with poverty alleviation.

Eleven Cold storages of WBLDCL are situated at Belgachia, Midnapore, Nandakumar, Purulia, Durgapur, Krishnanagar, Berhampore, Malda, Islampur, Matigara, Falakata. These facilitate cold preservation of meat and meat products.

WBLDCL operates 71 Mobile Veterinary Units (MVU) which are engaged in veterinary services at even the remotest parts of West Bengal.

Yearly, almost one crore eggs (approximately eight lakh eggs per month) are being distributed by WBLDCL at a subsidized rate through social schemes. It shows the social responsibility that exists in kind heart of WBLDCL.

By means of meat export, collaborative research in association with famous educational institutes, supply of White Pekin duck feathers to shuttlecock manufacturers, development of animal disease diagnosis infrastructure, marketing channel development with both backward and forward linkage and many more, WBLDCL is the continuous recipient of brand leadership awards in recent times and dreams of being among the top business organizations in Government Sector with all its entrepreneurship versatility.

Dr. Utpal Kumar Karmakar

Managing Director,
West Bengal Livestock Development Corp. Ltd. (WBLDCL)