May 22, 2006

Pakistani farmers in Punjab cut off poultry feed supplies to Kashmir
 

Layer farmers in Pakistan's province of Punjab have halted supplies of feeds, maize, soy, sunflower and other raw materials to Kashmir to pressure the government into lifting the bans on layer birds, according to a letter from the Kashmir Valley Poultry Farmers Association to the central government.

The layers farmers are forcing truck drivers carrying supplies to Kashmir just to pressurise Kashmir's government to lift the ban on layer birds, dead stock or culled birds, the letter charged. Kashmir's government has banned birds from Punjab since bird flu was detected in nine poultry farms in late May and early April.

The letter alleges that the farmers would not have been able to destroy the feed without government backing. The letter charges that Punjab's government is illegally helping them.

The association said that Kashmiri farmers have received threats that trucks carrying raw materials would be set ablaze.

Poultry farmers from Kashmir said layer birds past their productive age from Punjab are treated at many places outside the state as dead stock and are sold at prices four to five times lower than the prices charged to consumers in Kashmir.

After Kasmir's government banned poultry imports, Punjab government appealed several times to lift the ban to no avail.

Although the ban was eased later to allow imports of broilers, the ban on layer birds continued.

Now, farmers in Punjab have resorted to waylaying supplies to pressure the lifting on the ban, the letter said.