Poultry Industry: High prices of feed, chick hit growth

LAHORE: White meat fulfills 50% of the country’s meat needs but higher prices of poultry feed and one-day-old chick are major impediments in the way of growth of the poultry industry, says Rana Abdul Sattar, Chairman of Pakistan Broiler Farmers Association. In a statement, he said protein intake through white meat was an inexpensive source of energy compared to red meat and it was also cholesterol-free. The cost of one-day-old chick was only Rs20 per bird, but companies were supplying the bird at Rs45 to Rs50 to the farmers, he said, adding feed prices were also very high but quality was not up to the mark. Sattar claimed that 30,000 poultry farms had been closed down because of this problem in Punjab alone. He said the poultry industry contributed 6% of the total 12% share of livestock in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2014.

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