Wardha holds workshop to boost livestock-based businesses

A one-day workshop was held in Wardha to give momentum to livestock-related businesses. The workshop was organised by the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Wardha district, and the Bharat Livestock and Marketing Producer Company (BLAMP) Federation, Nagpur, under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan 2026, at the office of the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department.

At the workshop, livestock-based Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and the BLAMP Federation discussed several issues, including the purchase and collection of goats, animal feed requirements and planning, livestock health camps, collection centres, meat sale centres, value-added products and their marketing, convergence of government schemes, and business development planning up to March 31, 2027. Difficulties faced in the business and possible solutions were also discussed. The workshop was held under the guidance of project director Vaishali Rasal.

Present as guides at the event were Assistant Commissioner of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Sanjay Khopde, district mission manager Niraj Nakhate, district manager-livelihoods Pratik Muneshwar, district manager-marketing Manish Kawade, veterinarian Rushikesh Dodewar, taluka mission manager-Selu Omalata Darne, BLAMP CEO Dattatray Chougule and marketing manager Bhushan Kherde.

The workshop discussed taking forward livestock-based initiatives started under the Integrated Farming Cluster (IFC) project and linking the district's livestock-based FPCs to it for the purchase and sale of goats, and decided the next course of action. It emerged during the workshop that livestock-based business can become a major enterprise for women, since almost every household in villages keeps livestock. If they are given proper technical assistance and information on animal care, this activity can grow into a full-fledged business, which can then be scaled up by linking it to FPCs. For this, it was noted that Umed, the BLAMP Federation Nagpur, and the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department need to work together.

Dattatray Chougule, marketing manager Bhushan Kherde and Umed's CLM Manoj Chikhalkar contributed to making the event a success. All division coordinators of the district's IFC division, block anchors, senior CRPs and office-bearers and directors of livestock-based FPCs were present at the workshop.