The government is allowing the import of eggs and chicks from India although the local poultry industry suffers losses because of surplus production, alleged egg and chick raisers yesterday.
Presently, 1.5 crore pieces of eggs are produced daily against a demand for 1.3 crore pieces. 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 70-75 lakh pieces of broiler DOC and 5-5.5 lakh pieces of layer DOC a week against a weekly demand of 60-65 lakh and 3.5 lakh, 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.
''The industry incurs a loss of Tk 5-10 crore daily. It is not understood how the government allows eggs and DOC imports,'' said Breeders Association President Kazi Zahedul Hasan.
Hasan's remark came after the government permitted two firms to import one crore pieces of hatching eggs and day-old chicks from India and other countries.
Breeders also cited OIE-World Organisation for Animal Health and the organisation embargo on the import of eggs and live bird from an avian influenza affected country.
Hasan, also managing director of Kazi Farms, said India is an avian flu affected country.
''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 kilogram of chicken meat at Tk 120-125, which was Tk 125-135 a year back. Prices of four-eggs slipped 4 percent to Tk 23-24 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 60 lakh people.
Md Abdur Razzaque, president of World Poultry Sciences Association, Bangladesh, said the outbreak of avian influenza has already caused losses to the tune of Tk 700 crore.
Source: The Daily Star (May 9, 2011)
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