Association leaders placed the demands in front of Finance Minister AMA Muhith at a programme titled “Food-nutrition security, women empowerment and creating employment in poultry industry-budget thought.”

DhakaTribune reports that FIAB President and BPICC Convener Moshiur Rahman placed the demands of the poultry industry to Finance Minister Muhith.

Shamsul Arefin Khaled, president of the Bangladesh branch of World Poultry Science Association, presented the demands on behalf of their association.

FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmed, National Board of Revenue member Parvez Iqbal, Lutfor Rahman, Founder and Managing Director of Kazi Farms Kazi Zahedul Hasan and Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Muhammed Sayedul Hoque spoke at the programme.

The demands are: withdrawal of income tax from poultry food elements imports, exemption of 10 per cent customs tax on import of soya-bean meal, inclusion of Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles (DDGS) in SRO as a vegetable protein, urgent addressing of complexity and H.S. Code related issues on imported goods, and withdrawal of indirect tax on raw materials importers and suppliers.

Promising to consider the poultry industry associations’ demands, the finance minister urged them to produce double the quantity of chicken and eggs within three years.

FIAB and BPICC said doubling production by the stipulated time would not be an issue if the government fulfilled their demands.

Meanwhile, Founder and Managing Director of Kazi Farms, Kazi Zahedul Hasan, said they are providing safe chicken and eggs using the latest international technology and equipment.

“A few dishonest businessmen are using tannery waste to make poultry feed secretly. But we don’t want to use it. Police will find nothing if they raid the factories that produce poultry feed this way,” said Mr Zahedul.