Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 5 (IANS): A Kerala Cabinet minister said on Saturday that sales of hormone-less chicken by 'Kudumbhasree', a women's empowerment programme launched by the state government, has surpassed the Rs 75 crore-mark.

Kerala Minister for Local Self-Government, M.V. Govindan, said that the 'Kerala Chicken' brand has become a runaway hit in the state and there are 260 poultry farms and 94 selling points across six districts.

"We are starting this brand of hormone-less chicken in four more districts. Even though it was started in 2017, it was after 'Kudumbhasree' took charge in June 2020 and gave the brand name 'Kerala Chicken' that things changed for good. The sales of chicken have now crossed the milestone of Rs 75 crore," Govindan said.

The project is supervised by the Animal Husbandry Department and a separate company, Kudumbhasree Broiler Farmers Producers Company Limited, which oversees the activities and coordinates between the various farms and selling points.

With the implementation of this project, the daily arrival of poultry birds from the neighbouring states has also come down.