Poultry operators to export processed food

The country's poultry industry operators aim to begin exports of locally processed food items made of chicken by 2018 in a bid to grab a pie of the growing ready-to-eat food market in the world.

“We are preparing ourselves to enter the global market,” said Moshiur Rahman, president of World's Poultry Science Association Bangladesh Branch.

The food items include masala nuggets, kid's nuggets, drumsticks, wings, burger patties, sausage, kebab, cutlet and chicken tandoori. Initially, the operators plan to export to the Middle Eastern countries, he said at the closing ceremony of the ninth International Poultry Show and Seminar 2015 in Dhaka yesterday.

Around 50,000 people visited the three-day show organised by the association at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

A total of 297 stalls from 147 local and foreign companies were set up at the show, while 47 technical papers were presented at the seminar.

The poultry entrepreneurs are also aiming to export eggs to Myanmar, he told The Daily Star. “Many hatchery owners in Myanmar are interested to buy Bangladeshi eggs because of good quality and price.”   

Bangladesh's poultry industry is expected to grow by an average of 16 percent a year for the next five years, said Rahman. “If this growth rate is raised to 18-20 percent, chicken meat will be the number one meat of choice by 2030.”

Eggs and chicken meat are the safest, cheapest and healthiest sources of protein, he said.

It takes at least one and a half years for a cow to get matured for meat, 7-9 months for a goat and 4-9 months for fish. On the contrary, a chicken matures in 30-32 days.

The annual per capita chicken consumption in Bangladesh is only 3.74 kilograms, which is expected to reach 8.42 kg by 2020, he said. The recommended annual intake per capita is 18-20 kg globally, he said.

The poultry sector grew by 14.3 percent annually on an average from 2001 to 2010, but the growth rate fell to less than 3 percent in 2011 to 2014.

“Outbreak of bird flu affected the industry in the first two years, and political unrest hit the sector hard in 2013.”

Total investment in the poultry sector is likely to double to Tk 50,000 crore by 2020, which will increase the sector's total number of employment, including direct and indirect, to one crore from 70 lakh at present, according to industry people.

The poultry industry will play a crucial role in meeting the nutrition deficit of the Bangladeshi people, said Mike Robson, representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Bangladesh.

He said Bangladeshi consumers should eat more eggs and chicken meat. If the nutrition demand of mother and kids is met, it will be easier for the nation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Referring to the incredible progress made by Brazil, World's Poultry Science Association International President EN Silva said Brazil can be a model for Bangladesh to replicate.

Secretary of World's Poultry Science Association Roel Mulder called upon the industry people to attend the 2016 World Poultry Congress to be held in Beijing, China.

ACI Animal Health won the first prize for the Best Stall Award at the show while Renata Animal Health stood second and the third prize was won by Facco Equipments Ltd.