January 2, 2007

Pakistan poultry industry asks for government support

The Pakistan Poultry Association wants government support in exporting hatching eggs to the Middle East, and subsidies for crops used in poultry feed.

Mir Tahir Ali Zaid, central chairman of the association noted that the low prices of day-old broiler chicks and live broilers was resulting in huge losses every day.

He reported that broiler-hatching eggs were being sold as table eggs at a loss of 50 percent of production costs. This price crisis, according to him was having a stronger impact on the poultry industry than the bird flu outbreaks of early last year.

Now that Pakistan has been declared bird-flu free, surplus production should be exported with government support to prevent further loss and earn valuable foreign exchange, he said.

Besides, the association has urged the government to provide subsisides for poultry feed crops, such as corn, sorghum, sunflower, canola and soybeans, while making concerted efforts to increase these crops.