January 16, 2007

 

More than 600 poultry farms closed in Pakistan's Punjab due to losses

 

 

Heavy losses to chicken farmers and uncertainty in the poultry industry prompted by the bird flu crisis have closed more than 600 poultry farms and rendered more than 5,000 people unemployed in five districts of south Punjab, officials said.

 

More farmers are becoming disillusioned with the business while more than 90 distributors have faced losses worth millions in three years in these districts.

 

Poultry experts said the closure of such a large number of farms may lead to meat shortage in the state in future.

 

At present, the state exports broiler birds to other states and districts and also to Afghanistan.

 

Before the bird flu scare in January 2004, almost five million broiler birds had been reared in four districts of DG Khan region. The bird flu scare caused consumers to avoid eating chickens, causing prices to plunge. In the end, farmers had to sell the healthy birds at ten times below production cost. 

 

After the scare, the number of poultry farms in the district fell sharply, however, renewed confidence increased the number of poultry farms again and production rose from 2.5 million birds per month to about four million. Overproduction in 2006 and rumours of bird flu again resulted in yet another crisis-like situation.

 

Broiler birds are still sold at below costs and farmers incurred a loss with every bird they sold.

 

More than 600 farms have closed in the Layyah, Muzaffargarh, DG Khan and Rajanpur districts and so has more than two dozens feed distributors.

 

A poultry expert, Dr Aslam Baloch said there is no shortage of broiler but slump-like conditions prevail due to low rates in big poultry markets of the country.

 

Such a situation may precipitate into an acute shortage of poultry meat in a few months, experts said.

 

The government has been urged to fix prices of meat and chicks keeping in view the cost of production on a weekly basis.

 

While the traditional farmer is hurt by these losses, large farms with modern methods are doing well, said All Pakistan Poultry Industry chairman Mir Tahir Ali Zaidi. Traditional farmers are facing difficulties because of lack of information about vaccine, diseases and the proper time of farming, he said.

 

Production costs in Pakistan is higher than neighbouring countries, including India, Iran and China.