Poultry Producers Forum urges another price hike
The newly formed Poultry Producers Forum is appealing to authorities to increase the price of a kg of chicken meat by at least Rs. 20 to cover rising costs of production, the forum’s joint co-coordinator Yakooth Naleem, who is also the Bairaha group Managing Director, said.
Despite the price revision of Rs.30 announced in December last year, the viability of poultry is at stake due to its dependency on feed prices, he added.
Mr. Naleem revealed that feed prices have risen by as much as 25 per cent in recent months, with every prospect of more price rises. A further hike is necessary as 75,000 poultry farmers and their families and over three million employees depend on the industry. Prices of Maize and other ingredients such as vitamins as well as Poonac, Rice Polish, Broken Rice, Fish Meal, Soya, Oil, Vitamins and Minerals have also increased. Another factor in rising production costs is the devaluation of the rupee, increased electricity tariffs, labour and transportation costs, he revealed.
Medium and small scale producers and farmers will have to close down their business if the Government does not increase the price of chicken meat.
Mr. Naleem pointed out that key players in the poultry sector such as Alankulama Green Ventures, Bairaha Feed Mills, Green Valley, Maxis Pvt Ltd, New Anthony’s, Nelna Farm, Nel Farm, Switz Pvt Ltd and Weehena Farms along with many other small and medium scale companies have formed this new forum to make proper representations to authorities and disseminate information of the industry.
Members of the forum are engaged in the production of nearly 80 per cent of the broiler chicken sector in Sri Lanka, he said. He disclosed that there is lull in the sales of chicken in the local market due to the rising cost of living as the people have reduced meat consumption.
Sri Lanka’s poultry farms operate amid heavy state intervention where the Consumer Affairs Authority controls selling prices.
High maize prices also tend to push up poultry prices and reduce consumption which leads to protein malnutrition, especially in young children of poor families.
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