Poultry industry demands relief package

KARACHI: The poultry sector has asked the government to fulfill its commitment, which it promised at the 8th national poultry congress in Islamabad in February last for providing relief to the poultry sector in the country and bring the industry out of hot waters.

Abdul Maroof Siddiqui, central convener, Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) expressed these views while talking to Daily Times on Thursday. He said in order to increase poultry production the governments should provide soft loans upto Rs one million and duty free import of implements and equipments for modernization of dairy farming in the major farming areas in the country.

He said in this way the country will overcome the shortage of meat and this step will help provide job opportunities to the breeders besides controlling increase in prices of meat.

He said the present breeders and poultry farmers are not affording 25 percent import duty on poultry equipments and this should be slashed. He said import of equipment from Italy is cheaper and better for the local breeders.

He said some 13,000 leading breeders are catering the customers in four provinces with a total production of more than 4.9 million birds, including commercial broiler and layer (with a ratio 12:1) per annum respectively. The Punjab shares 70 percent of the production and NWFP is the principle parents’ breeder in the country due to suitable climate. The framers in NWFP also brought improvement in their hatcheries and supplied 30 percent more parent birds to Punjab and Sindh in 2004, Mr Siddiqui added. He said despite decline of some 800,000 parents’ birds in 2002-2003, the breeders and farmers of Punjab and Sindh improved their production of parents’ birds in 2004.

He asked government to start providing loan on singing memorandum of understanding with commercial banks for interest free loans to the needy breeders upto Rs 100,000 on personal guarantee, Punjab government has already started, he added.

He said among the significant factors of better results in production is the use of quality domestic feed around 47 million bags of 50 kg bag each. He stressed upon the concerned ministry to expedite the establishment of poultry training and research centers in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. MR Siddiqui said poultry sector could play a key role in the strengthening of national economy as it presently giving —- revenue to the national exchequer. —Staff Report

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