Poultry Genetic Resources of India and its Role in Rural Poultry Production

Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of Indian agriculture. Scientific, technological advancements and introduction of high yielding germplasm have led to great expansion of poultry industry in last few decades. However, now a day’s indigenous breeds are gaining importance due to increasing demand for their quality products. The peoples are ready to pay higher cost to egg and meat of indigenous breeds due to their quality and taste. Native breeds are acceptable by the local people since it suits their socio-cultural way of life. The traditional system of poultry production is still prevalent in the rural areas and is the backbone of rural poultry production. Presently the poultry farming have two distinct facets- the commercial – high input intensive production and extensive low-input rural/backyard poultry production. Each one is equally important, but has widely diverse input needs, especially the type of germplasm. Chicken and ducks are two major avian species in India used for production of eggs and meat both under un-organized and organized sector. The wide variation of agro-climatic conditions has facilitated the evolution and development of many poultry breeds out of which 19 chickens, 2 duck and 1 of geese have been registered.