(wl-7286)-Broiler Contracting in Punjab: Contract Farming or Wage Work?

The persistence of agrarian crises and failure of crop diversification policies in Green Revolution regions of India such as Punjab necessitate exploring role of allied agricultural sectors such as livestock for small farmer livelihood generation. Through a comprehensive analysis of broiler contract farming in Punjab, it is observed that though broiler contract farming was inclusive, as growers were less resourceful, less literate and less-experienced than their non-contract counterparts but value sharing with small growers did not happen. As a result, profitability from broiler rearing was lower in contract farming as compared to non-contract (independent) production. The case study suggests collectivization of small growers through cooperatives/producer company mechanism to negotiate with the contracting agency in terms of prices, and effective regulation of contract farming for protection of farmer interest.