No chickens or eggs for Bahawalpur’s residents

Many residents remain eager to start poultry farming for a myriad of reasons

BAHAWALPUR:  

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s dream to alleviate poverty through poultry farming has not been realized in Bahawalpur where not a single chicken or egg has been provided to residents.

Many residents said that they are eager to participate in poultry farming. However, when they go to the Livestock Department’s office, they are told to go to another office. In this manner, they constantly shuffle back and forth between offices. Despite this, many remain eager to start poultry farming for a myriad of reasons.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, resident Waqar Khalid says poultry farming is a useful venture. It provides eggs which can be utilized at home and saves on groceries, he stated.

Talha Qureshi, a resident of Yazman, says that since he heard the prime minister speak, he has been farming chickens in his home. “It is a great way of generating small profits,” he explained. You can make money by selling the eggs and once those start hatching you can sell the chick, he said.

Another resident Mohammad Hassan said that chicken farming is a cost effective business. It does not involve a lot of capital and can be done from home, he added.

Unfortunately, the Livestock Department is unable to cater to the growing demands of the people. Speaking to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, an official from the department revealed that they had been supplying chicken until October. However, the demand has escalated and we have a back log of hundreds of applications; the supply has outweighed the demand, he stated.

According to Poultry Department, the chickens bred at farms In Bahawalpur are supplied to areas outside the city. “Once the chicks mature, they are sent to Multan and other areas,” said one official. Further, the entire district has only one poultry farm which is operated by the government.

Dr Aamir Sharif, In charge of the government poultry farm, said that they only breed chicks to supply them to other areas. Only when there is a surplus do we supply them to the general public, he added.

Previously, a set of five chickens and a rooster were sold for Rs850. Now the prices has been hiked to Rs1,200. Bahawalpur’s residents demanded that they also be provided with the opportunity to participate in poultry farming.