June 17, 2008

A combination of factors such as bird flu and high interest loan rates have driven Bangladeshi poultry farms to the brim, with only 4,210 out of over 23,000 poultry farms managing to resume operation after closure in the past few months.
 

The bird flu outbreak in Bangladesh last year had forced over 23,000 poultry farms to shut down, but now only a handful has managed to resume their operations, leading to about 5 million people losing their jobs.

High interest rates of 12-18 percent at regional banks have put off poultry farmers and combined with the rising feed costs, many have found it impossible to sustain their business.

Many poultry farmers have also leased their farms and unit space to factories, pesticide companies and training institutes, which gave them more income over running a poultry facility.

In addition, it is also reported that many poultry farm owners have yet to receive compensation for their culled birds from the last bird flu outbreak.