Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas has said the government is considering the import of essential antibiotics to sustain the growth of poultry industry in the country, reports The Daily Star.

"Essential antibiotics are needed to protect poultry from diseases. The government is considering lifting the ban on import of antibiotic for poultry," he said last week.

Mr Biswas was speaking at the Installation Ceremony 2011-12 of the World Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) at Hotel Ruposhi Bangla in Dhaka.

Food and Disaster Management Minister, Abdur Razzaque, Fisheries secretary, Ujjwal Bikash Dutta, and WPSA-BB President, Moshiur Rahman, among others, also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Latif Biswas announced that the government has taken an initiative to register each and every poultry feed mill of the country to ensure quality of poultry feeds and the registration process will begin soon.

He said: "Since the independence, the country's poultry industry has achieved significant growth both in terms of production and quality."

The Daily Star reports that he added now, a 10-million workforce are involved in the poultry industry and there are 150 million consumers.