Producers Call for End to Imports

BANGLADESH - Poultry farmers allege that imports from India are causing losses and risk spreading bird flu.

9 May 2011

3 minute read

Asia

The government is allowing the import of eggs and chicks from India although the local poultry industry suffers losses because of surplus production, egg and chick raisers have alleged.

Daily Star of Bangladesh reports that presently, 15 million eggs are produced daily against a demand for 13 million. The weekly production of day-old chicks (DOC) of layer and broiler has also exceeded demand. This had lead to a fall in prices of layer and broiler DOC used to produce eggs and meat.

Currently, breeders hatch 7.0 to 7.5 million pieces of broiler DOC and 500,000 and 550,000 layer DOC a week against a weekly demand of 6.0 to 6.5 million and 350,000, they claimed at a discussion at National Press Club organised by Breeders Association of Bangladesh.

Breeders said excess supplies have led to a fall in the prices at the hatchery gates. Poultry farmers suffer in the face of rising production costs, mainly due to a spike in feed prices, they added.

Breeders Association President Kazi Zahedul Hasan, said: "The industry incurs a loss of five to 10 million taka [BDT] daily. It is not understood how the government allows eggs and DOC imports."

Mr Hasan's remarks came after the government permitted two firms to import of 10 million hatching eggs and day-old chicks from India and other countries.

Breeders also cited OIE's embargo on the import of eggs and live birds from an avian influenza-affected country.

Mr Hasan, also managing director of Kazi Farms, said India is an avian flu-affected country.

He said: "It's just not comprehendible how the government allows eggs and live bird imports from a bird-flu stricken country."

Meanwhile, the prices of eggs and broiler chicken fell below the prices of a year ago.

Poultry retailers in Dhaka now sell a kilo of chicken meat at BDT120 to 125, which was BDT125 to 135 a year back. Prices of four-eggs slipped four per cent to BDT23 to BDT24 from last year.

Breeders and poultry industry stakeholders linked the fall in prices to surplus production from a rise in investment in the sector.

Breeders and industry stakeholders said allowing imports would hurt the local sector further, which employs six million people, according to Daily Star.

Md Abdur Razzaque, president of World Poultry Sciences Association, Bangladesh, said the outbreak of avian influenza has already caused losses to the tune of BDT7 billion.