Corporate monopoly choking small poultry farmers

Marginal farmers are struggling to survive despite being major producers of eggs and chicken in Bangladesh, as some corporate groups control the whole poultry market, according to the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA).

Marginal farmers produce around 80 percent of the eggs and chickens and the rest 20 percent by the big corporate entities, but the production cost is higher for the smallscale growers, said Suman Hawlader, president of the BPA.

The micro farmers spend Tk 10.5 to Tk 11 to produce an egg and Tk 155 to Tk 170 for a kilogramme of broiler chicken, which come down to Tk 8 to Tk 9 for eggs and Tk 130 to Tk 140 for chickens in case of big producers, he said.

The corporate houses get the advantage for bulk production whereas the marginal farmers are falling behind and are eventually leaving the business, he added.

Hawlader made the comments at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity in the capital's Segunbagicha today.

The association president urged the government to take effective measures to protect the small farmers and bar the corporate groups from monopolising the market.

"When the price of eggs or chicken rises, it sparks nationwide discussions and swift government actions. But why doesn't the government take action when the price of feed increases?" said the BPA president regarding the government's inconsistent interventions.

The big corporate houses are allowed to raise feed prices citing international trends, but no one raises questions when the domestic feed prices do not fall following drops in global rates, he said.

The BPA plans to start selling eggs, frozen chicken, and other agricultural items at fair prices from January 12 this year to ensure affordable poultry products during the upcoming month of Ramadan. 

The association will first start the initiative in 20 locations of Dhaka city and gradually expand it to 100 locations in phases, Howlader said.