Between reducing the use of antibiotics and dealing with rampant bacterial infections of poultry, there is need to create safe prevention solutions, writes, Managing Director – Vetphage Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. The poultry sector in India was valued at an estimated Rs. 80,000 crores in 2015-16. Thanks to increasing income and changing food habits, the demand for poultry meat as well as eggs is expected to grow steadily. The poultry meat production in the country stood at around 3.46 million tons in 2016-17, up from 3.26 million tonnes during the previous year. Similarly, the egg production also grew by around 6% during the same period. Notably, more than 80 per cent of India’s poultry output is produced by organized commercial farms, while the remaining 20% comes from the unorganized sector often referred to as the backyard industry. The growing consumption and production of poultry on commercial scale elicits a series of health and environmental concerns. Among them are concerns over bacterial disease as well as the disposal of infected birds. Prevention of diseases and ensuring healthy growth of chicken also remain significant concerns before farmers.