Efficient farming cuts poultry production cost: study

Poultry farmers, including female, young and small-scale entrepreneurs, could benefit from reduced production costs by adopting good farming practices, according to a recent study.

"Farmers need about 1,700 grammes of poultry feed to raise a single fowl to one kilogramme (kg) in weight," said Md Razaul Karim, coordinator of the "Issue-based Project on Food Safety Governance in the Poultry Sector".

"But after adopting good farming practices, the amount comes down to 1,500 grams," said the coordinator of the project being run under the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB)

Besides, good farming practices not only bring down the price of poultry feed by about Tk 10 per kg but also curb other costs, he said.

For example, the cost of antibiotics comes down to about Tk 1,000 for 1,000 chickens while it would be Tk 3,000 previously, he added.

The study was jointly conducted by the CAB, BeezBistar Foundation, and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies with help from British Council.

Styled "Food safety governance in the poultry sector: Outcomes, challenges and the way forward", it was released during a workshop at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka yesterday.

Shaikh Azizur Rahman, director general of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), said the use of antibiotics in poultry farming was unexpected as it was harmful for both the bird and those who eat its meat.

So, the DLS is dedicated to helping poultry farmers increase the country's protein production in a more clean, efficient, and sustainable manner, he added.

Abu Luthfe Fazle Rahim Khan, managing director of the Aftab Bohumukhi Farm, suggested that farmers give special attention to ensure food safety in the poultry sector.

In addition, the number of birds at each farm should increase to at least 8,000 within the next six to eight years so that there is sufficient protein production in the country, he said.

Echoing the same, Prof MA Alim, a member of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, said ensuring safe poultry production would help protect the peoples' health.

"So, the safety issue in the poultry sector is vital," Alim added.

Md Abdur Rahim, project director of the livestock dairy development project of the DLS, recommended implementing the European Union's standard for poultry farming to ensure food safety.

While addressing the programme, Gerry Fox, team leader of the British Council's promoting knowledge for accountable systems initiative, said ensuring food safety was a critical and complex issue.

"Through our work with the government and private sector, we have demonstrated the need to draw on the comparative advantage of government and private sector cooperation in this regard," he said.

"Together, we have achieved strong results and hope to build on this in the future," Fox added.

The study was conducted with the participation of 280 poultry farmers from seven upazilas of six districts.

During the study, farmers followed good farming practices, such as reducing the use of antibiotics under veterinary supervision, and using licenced feed from reliable dealers.

Atiq Rahman, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, chaired the event while AHM Taslima Akhter, manager of the CAB project in food safety governance, presented the study.