Nepalese Poultry Sector in Crisis

NEPAL - Around 60,000 people employed directly and indirectly in poultry business in Chitwan are at risk of losing their jobs after the rumours about bird flu were heard in Jhapa in eastern Nepal.
calendar icon 2 February 2009
clock icon 3 minute read

Chinese sources say that The Kathmandu Post reported today that if the situation is not taken under control, the consequences may worsen and more people might be unemployed.

According to the Association of Commerce and Industry, there are around 6,000 people who are directly in the industry, and a further 60,000 people work indirectly in the business.

The decrease in chicken sales could also hamper the related medicine, grain and raw material business as well. According to a local entrepreneur, Til Chandra Bhattrai, the entrepreneurs will be hit hard if the situation is not controlled within two weeks.

According to entrepreneurs, around 3.5-4.0 million Nepali rupees (NPR; US$45,500-52,000) worth of chicken, eggs are imported into Chitwan on a daily basis. Chitwan poultry holds 38 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the district. The poultry business is one of the pioneers in the district.

President of the Commerce and Industry Association, Mitra Raj Dwadi, said that the poultry business is earning for the other businesses and if it goes down, the whole economy of the district will suffer.

The poultry industry in Chitwan, some 200 kilometres southwest of Kathmandu, has a total investment of NPR 8 billion ($103.8 million), which is contributed by banking and private sector whereas the whole poultry industry in the country has a total investment of NPR 12 billion ($156 million).

Further Reading

- You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.
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