Enterprises working in the poultry sector have blamed the increase in poultry feed prices, government's failure to provide incentives to the sector, low market price of eggs and chickens and bird flu as the main reasons, according to Gulf Times.

Chicken farming output in June 2010 was 1.95 million kilos a day while in December, it declined to around 1.7 million kilos and in March, the level came down to nearly 1.6 million kilos, said leaders of the council, citing reports from markets and their 64 district and 490 sub-district units.

They said that egg production was 27.5 million a day in June 2010, 26 million in December 2010 and in March 2011, it was reduced to 23.5 million a day.

According to the council leaders, there were around 114,000 poultry farms across Bangladesh in June 2010, 98,000 in December 2010 with the number now at around 75,000.

Bashir Uddin, a poultry farmer of village Bhanua of Gazipur district, said: "I have closed my farm mainly in fear of bird flu infection and the price hike of poultry feed and medicines."

He added that in his area, around 25 poultry farms have closed in last three months as they did not get a profitable price for their eggs and chickens.

Md Abdur Razzaque Mia, president of the Bangladesh section of the World's Poultry Science Association, blamed bird flu and price increase of poultry feed and medicine as the major threats to the country's poultry sector.

Council general secretary, Khandokar Mohammad Mohsin, told Gulf Times: "The price of poultry feed has increased by 30 per cent in last six months while farmers have to endure a loss of 1.50 taka (BDT) per egg and around BDT25 per kilo of broiler."

He was also critical of the government's failure in tackling bird flu, decreasing amount of compensation following the culling of infected birds and importing eggs.

Further Reading

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