Murghi Paal scheme makes feathery return
The caretaker Government of Punjab has approved the PC-1 to restore the poultry project of the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the province and has sought details of the programme from the Poultry Research Institute (PRI).
The PRI had sought permission from the Punjab government to resume the ‘Murghi Paal’ scheme under its support without seeking a government grant, which was approved.
In this regard, the PRI will present a detailed programme comprising complete details of the scheme including buying, selling, supply of chickens and a free training course for individuals from the second week of August.
The chicken breeding programme will be practically restored from the next month as the breeding process will start in 12 poultry centres across the province following which the process of distribution of chickens among the public will start in October.
According to sources in the PRI, the new Murghi Paal programme will offer a set comprising five chickens and one rooster at Rs1,250 to Rs1,300. In the previous iteration of the scheme, five chickens and one rooster were given for Rs1,200.
Meanwhile, the PRI has also issued tenders for the purchase of 50,000 sacks of poultry feed of 100kg each.
The chicks would be bred at 11 poultry centres in Punjab located in Rawalpindi, Attock, Deena, Gujrat, Sargodha, Mianwali, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Bhakkar. They would be distributed among those trying to benefit from the programme.
The initiative won’t cost the provincial government as the institute would use its resources for it, the sources said. This will boost the department’s revenue and ensure that ‘residents can get fresh brown (desi) eggs at their doorstep daily’, they added.
The chickens bred at the institute are crossbreeds of three or four types of chickens at the PRI’s poultry farm. The best chicken is the cross between the real broiler (desi) chicken and the pure broiler (desi) chicken of Punjab.
Each year, a chicken produces between 230 and 240 eggs. Moreover, the institute claimed that the chicken feed is not purchased from the market, but are fed leftover fruit and vegetable from the kitchen, used tea leaves, leftover roti, and rice. These chickens have high endurance and survive both hot and cold weather.
In the last four years, the poultry institute supplied around 1.5 million chickens across the 36 districts in Punjab. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led current government put an end to the three projects of the PTI-led government, including the Murgi Paal scheme on June 30, citing lack of funds and the severe financial crisis hitting the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2023.