MP’s black chicken variety Kadaknath wins over Captain Cool MS Dhoni- The New Indian Express

Express News Service

BHOPAL: Kadaknath, the highly nutritious Black Chicken variety from Madhya Pradesh’s Bheelanchal region, seems to have won over Captain Cool MS Dhoni.

If informed sources are to be believed then the team associated with Dhoni’s organic farm in Ranchi has ordered 2000 Kadaknath chicks from a poultry farmer in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh.

The proud farmer Vinod Medha, a resident of a village in Thandla block of Jhabua district – 350 km from Bhopal – is racing against time to meet the December 15 deadline of supplying 2000 Kadaknath chicks to Dhoni’s team in Ranchi.

“Three months ago, Dhoni’s farm managers got in touch with me through the Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK) and MP Kadaknath mobile phone app. Five days ago, I got the order for 2000 chicks, which I’ve to deliver in Ranchi by December 15. The advance payment for the 2000 chicks has already been credited in my account by the team managing Dhoni’s farm. I’m proud to be supplying Kadaknath chicks to the farm of one of the most famous cricketers of the country,” the lucky farmer Vinod Medha said on Wednesday.

Confirming the development, Dr Chandan Kumar, the scientist in-charge of the Kadaknath chicken wing of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK-Jhabua), told The New Indian Express, “Kunal Gaurav, who manages MS Dhoni’s farm in Ranchi, got in touch with experts of Ranchi Veterinary College a few months back for getting Kadaknath chicks. Since I’m an alumnus of the same college, the experts at Ranchi Veterinary College got in touch with me.”

The KVK-Jhabua subsequently talked to associated Kadaknath farmers in Jhabua district, but they are already preoccupied with orders from across the country for the next two and half months.

“Then we searched for more Kadakanth farmers and finally managed to connect a farmer Vinod Medha with MS Dhoni’s team and experts and alumni of Ranchi Veterinary College, associated with the famous cricketer,” Dr Kumar said.

Since Dhoni abruptly announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2019, there have been reports of him venturing into organic farming at his sprawling farm in Ranchi

In July 2020, there were pictures and news reports of Dhoni indulging in organic farming in 43 acres of land at his farm. Dhoni’s team was also involved in dairy farming through Sahiwal breed cows and fish farming, as well as duck and poultry farming at the same farm. 

Also known as Kali Masi, the Black Chicken variety Kadaknath is a unique chicken breed that’s black in colour and found in the tribal-dominated Jhabua district of MP’s Bheelanchal region. The famous Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua had also got GI tag in 2018 after a legal battle with Chhattisgarh.

“This chicken variety is believed to possess inherent medicinal properties with high protein and low cholesterol and fat content when compared to other chicken varieties,” KVK-Jhabua head Dr IS Tomar said.

The coordinated efforts of KVK-Jhabua and Kadaknath farmers of the tribal-dominated district have ushered a Kadaknath farming revolution in Jhabua district, which is now seeing demand for the Black Chicken variety from across the country.

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