Silver Revolution Notes

Amongst the top agrarian revolutions in India, the Silver Revolution has colossally contributed to the Indian economy, especially the agricultural sector. The Silver Revolution is related to the tremendous growth in egg production and was supported by various government and private firms. It took place between 1969-1978 under the ministry of Indira Gandhi. The visionary behind this poultry industry revolution was the Late Dr BV Rao who is the founder of Venkys. Read this blog to know all about Silver Revolution, what is it related to, when it started and more details!

Do You Know: Indira Gandhi is regarded as the father of Silver Revolution since she initiated this movement with the aim to bring a boost in the poultry industry.

What is the Silver Revolution?

The Silver Revolution is related to the immense growth of egg production in India by using advanced methods and technologies to enhance efficient growth in poultry farming. The Silver Revolution was started in 1969-1978 and medical sciences and innovation played an important role in this revolution. It took place for a period of 9 years and made India stand as the 3rd largest egg producer after China and the USA. The Indian government policies, private companies like Venkys as well as scientists and veterinarians played an important role in boosting egg production in India. The scientists led the spectacular Silver Revolution by the hybrid of cocks and hens which resulted in increases in poultry production.

Who is the Father of Silver Insurgency in India? 

Mrs. Indira Gandhi imagined and spearheaded the silver insurgency during the 1970s, and in this way, she is known as the father of the silver uprising in India. Later Banda Vasudev Rao, an Indian plant growth specialist and poultry rancher from Telangana, modernized and supported poultry cultivation in India. He is otherwise called the father of poultry cultivation in India. The Government of India perceived his work towards the poultry biological system and granted him the Padma Shri in 1990.

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Features of Silver Revolution

The silver revolution had laid various objectives to increase the production of eggs for the consumption of safe and healthy foodstuffs. Here are the salient features of Silver Revolution:

• Larger firms must adopt advanced technology and adhere to biosecurity protocols to prevent diseases.
• Promoting medical applied sciences to achieve hybrid cocks and hens.
• Enhancement of the quality standards of Egg products,  to meet the requirements of countries like the Middle East and Japan, which have good markets in the poultry industry.  
• Promotion of egg product consumption in mid-day meal schemes and hospitals will maximize demand and ensure sustainable food for all
• The eggs must be cleanly packed for purchase from supermarkets and must be labelled for the nutritive value and expiry date.
• Being a fragile commodity, long-distance supplies and exports must be planned with careful mass production.
• The Poultry Development Index was made for the major poultry-producing states of the Indian Union and states were classified in ascending order of WPDI.
• The silver upset guaranteed that enormous firms ought to embrace high innovation and follow biosafety conventions to forestall different infections. 
• The Silver Revolution advanced the utilization of applied science to get chickens. 
• This upset additionally affirmed that the nature of guidelines for egg items ought to be expanded so the necessities of different nations where there are acceptable business sectors in the poultry business can be met. 
• To augment utilization interest, the early afternoon dinner plans were advanced by expanding egg creations and guaranteeing economical nourishment for all. 
• The eggs ought to be very much bundled for health benefits just as the lapse date ought to be referenced. 
• Due to the egg being a delicate product, significant distance supply and fare ought to be painstakingly arranged. 
• The Poultry Development Index was made for the significant poultry creating conditions of the Indian Union and arranged the states in expanding request of WPDI (Walking Permeability Distance Index).

Fact: Silver Revolution in India was started in 1968-1978.

Challenges

Despite the tremendous efforts, there were a few challenges faced during the implementation of the silver revolution. 

• Export had slowed down in the northern and southern areas of the world because countries had begun their own poultry production.  
• Social issues around the large farm units cause a limitation in the poultry industry.
• Untreated chicken waste causes environmental pollution and leads to the emission of harmful gas and bacteria. 
• The following test was identified with ecological contamination. Untreated chicken waste causes ecological contamination. It prompts the discharge of hurtful gases and microorganisms.

Do You Know: World Egg Day is observed on the second Friday in October every year. It was established at the IEC Vienna, 1996 to create awareness of the benefits and importance of eggs in human nutrition.

Significant Reality of Silver Revolution 

The Silver Revolution motivated a critical socio-improvement in India. 

Alongside the expansion in egg creation, this upset additionally helped in work for individuals in provincial regions. The poultry business has been giving work to more than one lakh individuals in an immediate and roundabout way. 

The creation of eggs has been very efficient till now and it is ceaselessly settling down slowly bringing about an extraordinary expansion in utilization, prompting ideal costs. In this way, the creation of eggs has expanded to 90 billion of every 25 years. 

The best quality eggs are created in India, prompting the fare of eggs to African nations. These are the main poultry delivering states in different locales – Punjab in the northern district, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the southern area, West Bengal and Bihar in the eastern locale, Maharashtra in the western area. 

Facts about Silver Revolution

The silver revolution saw a successful development in the poultry sector of India. Apart from the increase in egg production, it also helped in employment for women in rural areas. Silver Revolution is an important topic for UPSC exams. Here are the important facts about Silver Revolution you must remember:  

• In just 25 years, egg production has gone up to 90 billion.
• Production is slowly getting more organized which has increased in consumption resulting in optimum prices.
• The industry of poultry farming has also provided direct or indirect employment for over a million people.
• India produces the best quality hatching eggs which can be exported to the African nations.
• The leading poultry producing states in different regions are Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in Southern Region, West Bengal and Bihar in Eastern Region, Maharashtra in Western Region and Punjab in Northern Region.

Poultry Production in India 

India is considered to be the third largest egg producer after the USA in China as well as the fourth largest chicken producer after China, Brazil and USA. it is observed that over the span of past 25 years the production of eggs have risen up to 90 billion. Observing the exceptionally high growth in the poultry sector as compared to other sectors like agriculture, many major developments have taken place to sustain this.

Since it is recommended to consume 180 eggs and 10 kgs of chicken per year, there is a vast scope of development and production enhancement in this sector. The poultry production in India has three segments- 

1. Layers Industry (Eggs): Larger units with tons of more birds and now being set up. Mainly 70% of the layer birdhouses were set up in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab whereas the other states the eggs were transported. Now, better production units are coming up in states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
2. Broilers: The broiler bird was discovered in India in 1975, prior to it, the chicken was only male birds or ‘spent hens’. The commotion broiler bird is ready in 60 days and contains more tender meat. The broiler industry has undergone tremendous technical work to enhance the nutritional value and genetics of the birds. With the help of advancements, now, the growing period of broiler birds has come down to less than 40 days instead of 60 days. 
3. Backyard/ Family Production (Both eggs and chicken): It is very evident that poultry has been a part of various Indian households and their backyards. It is also observed that at one point in time, 30% of eggs out of the total were produced in the backyard however, both birds and eggs were inefficient for quality production. Thus, to induce better results, the government has now started to encourage backyard poultry.

Development in the Poultry Sector in India

The stage of poultry farming in various states of India was uplifted by constructing developmental indices that were based on factors such as the ratio of improved birds with respect to total population and poultry, layer parent stock, and total number of hatcheries along their performance. During the construction of the Poultry Development Index, the states having lower WPDI were the first ones where uh the poultry farming setups were made. Assam along with other North-eastern states were ranked as lower states whereas Telangana was presented as the most developed poultry production state.

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