Hyderabad: Uppalapati Sundar Naidu, founder of Balaji Hatcheries, passed away at a private hospital in the city on Thursday evening. He was 85. He was born on July 1, 1936, in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor. His parents Govindunaidu and Mangammala were peasants. He was married to Pemmasani Sujeevana.
Naidu completed his bachelor's degree in Veterinary Sciences from the Bombay Veterinary University. He had served as a government veterinarian in Chittoor, Anantapur, and Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu) districts. He worked closely with farmers. He was pained by the vagaries of farm prices which wrought havoc on the farmers' income.
He believed that he would be able to improve their livelihood if he could ensure them an additional income over and above the farm income. Naidu came up with the idea of poultry farming to complement the farmers' income. Naidu resigned from the government service. He stepped into his entrepreneurial shoes by launching his poultry company in 1967.
While providing employment to the local population, Naidu reached out to the farmers. He preferred to travel by foot as he can meet more farmers. Farmers' income grew as his poultry network expanded. Though he was offering his expertise to run the chicken farms, Naidu met with a challenge while importing chicks. Naidu decided to bridge the gap.
He founded Balaji Hatcheries in 1972 which revolutionized the poultry industry in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh besides generating employment for thousands. Naidu has been conferred with many awards for his contributions to the poultry sector. Naidu is the founding trustee of Dr. BV Rao Institute of Technology, Pune.
He has served as a lifetime invitee member of 'Neck', a permanent invitee member of the AP Poultry Federation, a member of the International Poultry Science Association, and a member of the National Egg Council. New Jersey has also recognized his contributions with an award.
Earlier, Naidu had set up Netaji Balananda Sangh to motivate the youth of his village toward education. He had also helped set up a library in his village besides offering sports equipment for the village youth. From his student days, Naidu was passionate about serving the community and always had a sense of unity.
