PRADAN – Kesla Poultry Samiti: Enhancing the Income of Tribals

In a region characterized by extreme poverty, rainfed agriculture, distress migration and alcoholism, non-farm livelihood interventions such as poultry rearing came as a ray of hope to the tribals, enhancing their income and self esteem

Kesla Poultry Samiti (KPS) at a Glance

A lthough KPS was formed in May 1993, as a collective of small poultry producers in Kesla in Madhya Pradesh, it was formally registered on 11 June 2001 under the Mutually Aided Co-operatives Act (MACS) as Kesla Poultry Sahkarita Maryadit. It has 605 members spread over 16 clusters and 32 villages of Kesla and Shahpur blocks of Hoshangabad and Betul districts. In 2009–10, KPS recorded sales of Rs 14.01 crores and achieved a net profit of more than Rs 10.37 lakhs. More than Rs 3.13 crores was distributed among the members. The services provided by the Samiti to its members include day old chick placement, veterinary assistance, production and distribution of feed and other inputs, training of new members, and the lifting and marketing of birds. KPS has a staff of 36, headed by a CEO, who reports to the Governing Board, comprising elected representatives from each cluster of villages. KPS is also a member of a Producers’ Company of six PRADAN-promoted poultry co-operatives in Madhya Pradesh.

The Evolution of KPS

The predominantly tribal Kesla block in Hoshangabad district of MP was characterized by extreme poverty, rainfed agriculture with low productivity,distress migration and alcoholism. PRADAN selected Kesla for its non-farm livelihood interventions aimed at enhancing the incomes of tribals, based on their survey of the poorest districts in 1985. Of the list of potential activities suggested by interns from IRMA, three activities, including poultry, were favoured because the tribals in Kesla were familiar with rearing small numbers of indigenous chicken and PRADAN had a veterinary doctor in the team based in nearby Sukhtawa, who could support the programme.