Staff Reporter :
The poultry industry saw a huge downfall during the Corona pandemic.
Even the pandemic has ended, its effect remained for a long time.
Many poultry farmers lost their capital and stopped production at that time.
High feed price and not getting fair prices of production due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war increased the number of loser farmers.
Sources said, the number of farmers who have been dropped out since Corona pandemic has reached 59,000, half of the total poultry farmers of the country.
Apart from this, an instability was prevailing in the country’s egg and chicken markets for the couple of days due to the instability of the country’s overall economy caused by inflation and dollar crisis.
However, when instability was disappearing gradually and a relaxed atmosphere was creating in the market, the poultry farmers are facing some new possible threats.
On the one hand, feed prices have been increased, on the other hand, marginal farmers are bound to sell their products below the cost of production.
In this situation, many farmers are withdrawing themselves from production, which action is a big threat for the poultry industry.
Concerned persons say that the country’s poultry industry is under a big pressure due to the increase in the price of raw materials, advance income tax, import duty and non-withdrawal of corporate tax.
Price of poultry chicken feeds especially soymeal, maize-wheat powder, rice bran and all kinds of drugs have increased.
As a result, the entrepreneurs of this sector are constantly worried about losses.
They say, if the problems are not addressed soon, this industry will fall in danger.
At the end of November, the companies announced to increase the price of broiler and layer feed up to taka two and a half to taka three and a half per kg.
The feed producers had reduced the price up to taka three and a half in three rounds.
Now they have announced to increase the price by taka three and a half in one jump.
Farmers say that the selling price of broiler chicken and eggs is much lower now than the cost of production.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), broiler chicken prices have decreased by 16.67 per cent and egg prices by 21.57 per cent.
Farmers say that if the government does not determine the price of eggs and chicken at the farm level, then the crisis will deepen.
Suman Howlader, President of Bangladesh Poultry Association, an organization of the marginal farmers, said, “The government must intervene to save the poultry farmers.
Marginal producers are being deprived although everyone becoming beneficiary in three to four steps of the supply chain.”