Planned farming, govt support can help poultry sector flourish
The poultry industry has enough potential to become one of the biggest sectors as in-house demand of chicken and egg is increasing day by day, speakers told a roundtable yesterday.
Each person consumes around four kilogrammes of chicken and 100 eggs every year, but few years ago the demand was almost half, said Moshiur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council, quoting a recent study.
The industry can meet the demand and flourish more, if the poultry farmers engage in a planned farming with supports from the government, he said.
The remarks were made at the roundtable organised by Bangla daily Prothom Alo in association with World's Poultry Science Association Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) at the newspaper's office in the capital.
“Poultry can play an important role in our economy as it helps to dispel unemployment and empower the women, and helps to increase overall protein consumption,” said Shamsul Arefin Khaled, president of WPSA-BB.
Bangladesh Agricultural University Prof Dr Priya Mohan Das said the government needs to pay attention on vaccination to prevent diseases of chickens and follow a strict registration process of the farmers for the industry's development. Khaleda Islam, a professor of nutrition and food science at Dhaka University, said there was an allegation that many farmers use some medicines, including antibiotics and hormones, for quick growth of chickens. She urged farmers to avoid those.
WPSA-BB General Secretary Sirajul Hoque said the farmers do not use any hormones as they are costly, but they use some antibiotics whose effectiveness end after a certain time.
Abdul Quayum, associate editor of Prothom Alo, Ghulam Rahman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh, Shah Monir Hossain, a senior national advisor of FAO, Dr MM Khan, secretary general of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association, and Abu Luthfe Fazle Rahim Khan, president of Breeders Association of Bangladesh, also spoke.
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