Reflecting on nutrition: ‘Poultry - an affordable source of protein’

World Egg Day observed across the Punjab

LAHORE:

Pakistan Poultry Association chairman Muhammad Mustafa Kamal said on Friday that poultry was the most organised sector of agriculture in the country.

He was speaking to journalists on the occasion of World Egg Day. Kamal said the industry had been serving Pakistanis since 1962. He said the sector had always strived to provide people with affordable products to fulfil their dietary needs.

Kamal said the sector employed 1.5 million people and constituted 40 per cent of total meat consumption in Pakistan. He said being the most affordable source of animal protein, poultry moderated the increase in prices of other sources of protein.  He said 12.5 billion eggs and 1.05 million tonnes of chicken were being produced in Pakistan annually. Kamal said the average Pakistani consumed 5.8 kilograms of meat and 70 eggs yearly in comparison to the recommended annual intake of 250-300 eggs and 25-28 kilograms of meat.

He said women who consumed eggs regularly were at a reduced risk of having breast cancer than those who did not. Kamal said nutritionists recommended people to consume eggs regularly as physical and mental health were dependent on protein. He said the inadequate per capita consumption of eggs in Pakistan was a cause of concern.

Kamal said the association had organised several seminars province-wide to create public awareness regarding the nutritional benefits and importance of consuming eggs to mark the day.

Separately, Rawalpindi Poultry Research Institute organised a seminar on Friday to mark the World Egg Day.

In a statement issued on Friday the institute said the day had been celebrated on the second Friday of October since 1996 to create public awareness regarding the importance of consuming eggs daily.“The consumption of eggs in Pakistan is much less than it is in the developed countries. In Pakistan, an individual consumes less than 80 eggs per year on average as compared to 300 to 400 eggs consumed by an individual in developed countries,” the release said. Poultry Research Institute Director Abdul Rehman said that Pakistan’s rural population needed nutrition improvement. He said efforts were being made to improve the sector especially in the rural areas. Rehman said Pakistan could become a leading poultry exporter to Afghanistan and the Middle East. He said every individual in Pakistan should consume two eggs daily because they could not be adulterated and were a complete diet.

Pakistan Poultry Research Convener Khalil Malik said that the sector was growing by 8 to 10 per cent annually. He said agriculture was also benefitting from the development of poultry. He said 1.5 million people were associated with the sector in Pakistan altogether.

Former Livestock and Dairy Production Department director general Dr Bashir Mehmood Bhatti also addressed those participating.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.