December 5, 2019

Nepal poultry farmers affected by illegal poultry imports

The farmers claim middlemen illegally import poultry from India to sell at cheaper prices in major local markets, even with an official ban on poultry imports in place, reported My Republica Nepal.

Janak Poudel, Nepal Poultry Farmers Association chairperson said local poultry farmers are facing huge losses as they cannot compete with the cheaper prices of illegal poultry shipped from India through cold storage facilities.

He was speaking at an interaction in Lalitpur organised by the Nepal Poultry Farmers Association and Nepal Poultry Market Management Association.

In addition, Nepal poultry farmers do not get any subsidies, financial assistance or training, in comparison to farmers from India. These benefits, plus low feed costs, keep poultry costs low in India.

The association says 250,000 people are employed in Nepal's poultry sector, where commercial farming is conducted in 66 districts in the country.

Parshuram Basnet, a poultry farmer from Gorkha district urged the government to enforce its ban on illegal poultry imports, citing that local production is sufficient to meet the country's demand for the meat.

-      My Republica Nepal