Save the marginal poultry farmers for the sake of public health

Small and medium poultry farmers in the country are facing severe losses due to abnormal price hikes of poultry products and the control of the poultry market by a handful of corporate houses, says a report in this newspaper on Sunday. In fact, the country’s poultry industry has been going through a hard time since the Covid pandemic. The situation now has deteriorated with the ongoing Russaia-Ukraine war disrupting the supply chain with the high price of imported poultry feed. In this circumstance, the leaders of the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA) demanded a fund of Tk 1,000 crore in the next budget to provide loan facilities among poultry farmers from all banks of the country.

We know that poultry farming is a significant source of revenue generation for small farmers in countries like ours. It plays a vital role in fulfilling the daily protein requirements of humans through meat and egg consumption. Therefore, any rise in the production cost like a hike in raw materials used in this sector certainly causes an inverse impact on public health. As per the report, a 50-kg sack of poultry feed which was sold at Tk 2500 in 2021, now needs Tk 3700 to buy. The reason behind such an abrupt rise, as the farmers alleged, is a nexus of producers who are controlling the country’s poultry market.

It is quite disappointing to see the exorbitant price of feed, either imported or locally produced from imported inputs, which has already taken too heavy a toll on the poultry sector threatening its very survival. Almost all over the country from the wholesaler to buyer, the fallout is deeply felt in the abnormal price spiral of poultry products – broiler chickens and eggs.

In the interest of the marginal farmers, coordinated activities need to be taken at the private and government levels to arrange soft loans so that the poultry farms can restore their production and marketing to normal levels. We should focus on the supply of farm input, feed, other raw materials, management system, improved breeding efficiency, veterinary services, and marketing of egg and meat, which have to be ensured to secure a sustainable poultry production chain. The authorities must give priority to the benefit of the real farmers, not in the interest of any illegal market syndicate.