The poultry sector in the Rawalpindi division is on the brink of collapse due to the costly feed. Broiler farmers said that feed mills have exorbitantly raised the prices of their products under one pretext or the other.
The price of chicken feed has increased from Rs1,800 to Rs6,200 per bag and the cost of chicken medicine has increased from Rs0.2 million to Rs0.4 million while the soybean meal is in short supply which if crucial to increase the weight of chickens.
Small poultry farmers in seven tehsils of Rawalpindi district are facing immense problems in running their businesses.
Shipments of the imported soybean seed have been seized by customs authorities and the government has failed to import soybean meal as a substitute.
Poultry farmers said that the weight of the chicken does not increase due to the absence of soybean meal in the chicken feed.
After the extraordinary increase in the prices of poultry medicine and feed, people associated with the business have started closing their businesses as they say their chickens were losing weight due to the soybean meal in the chicken feed.
On the other hand, the prices of chicken are increasing with each passing day. Currently, chicken is being sold for Rs430 per kg in Rawalpindi, and chicken meat for Rs 620 to Rs630 per kg.
Raffaqat Hussain Gondal, who is associated with the poultry business, said that the prices of feed, medicine and electricity bills have gone up exponentially due to which the profit has decreased as compared to the cost.
They said that after the winter season is over, he will close the poultry business because it was taking a heavy toll on his financial capital.
People associated with the business have stopped rearing new chicks in poultry farms. Ziaur Rehman, Javed and Shabbir Ahmad, who are associated with the poultry business, said that they could no more purchase poultry medicine and feed.
On the other hand, the crisis of flour, sugar, chicken, meat and pulses in the open market has become severe. The danger of crisis of ghee and edible oil has also sounded alarm bells because containers full of edible oil have not been released from Karachi port.
The official announcements regarding the availability of flour proved futile as the supply of cheap flour has decreased at government stalls.
The naanbai association has also announced a protest and sit-in in front of the deputy commissioner’s office against the continuous increase in price of flour. Naanbai association president Shafeeq Qureshi said that the price of 78 kg bag of red flour has reached Rs13,400 and fine flour at Rs13,600, white flour (maida) at Rs13700.
He claimed that the price of a flour bag increased by R100 to Rs200 daily which was not tolerable. He said that if the price hike did not stop in the current week, the price of roti and naan will be further increased.
Flour dealer’s association president Zahoor Bhatti told that the supply of subsidized flour bags was less than the demand. “These bags are sold in stalls and vehicles at 50 places in the district. Until 120,000 bags flour bags are supplied to grocery shops across the district daily, the crisis will remain,” he said.
Kiryana Merchant Association President Salim Pervez Butt ]said demanded that there should be a separate quota of flour for tandooris.
Food controller Sufian Asif claimed that “we have increased the wheat quota for Rawalpindi to 500 metric tons and the flour price will start decreasing from Monday.
Due to black marketing of dollars, all national and multinational companies have also increased the price of their products like surf, soap, and baby milk powder by up to 25 per cent. The price magistrates in the Rawalpindi district appeared to be completely helpless in controlling the prices of basic commodities.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2023.
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