News
Poultry farmers continue to struggle to obtain animal feed
View(s):By Yoshitha Perera
Despite a drop in the price of chicken meat, consumers are hesitant to purchase protein-rich foods due to rising living costs, All Island Poultry Farmers’ Association chairman Ajith Gunasekara said.
Price of 1kg of chicken meat reduced from Rs. 1500 to Rs.1080; however consumers are not buying it due to the higher cost of living.
Within the period between March and June, the production of broiler meat has decreased by 30% to 12,000 metric tonnes per month from 18,000 metric tonnes, and prices have risen sharply. Daily egg production, which used to be between 700,000 and 800,000, has now dropped to about 400,000, and prices have risen to between Rs. 43 and 50.
Poultry industry hit by lack of feed. Pic by Eshan Fernando
“Due to a severe shortage in animal feed production, the industry has shrunk by 40%. We pay the government Rs. 10 billion per year, which is also not happening due to the decrease in production. Right now, raw materials produced in the country are also in short supply,” he explained.
The previous administration initially suggested that animal feed be imported on credit, and parent companies obtained it for a credit facility through large-scale multinational feed millers. “However, even after several months, we still haven’t been able to settle the bills for those imports, and the parent companies have informed the small and medium-scale poultry farmers that there is no way to send the feed,” he explained.
According to Mr. Gunasekara, basic protein sources such as eggs and poultry will need to be imported soon and will eventually become a luxury. “Eggs are the cheapest source of protein.” However, the egg, which was Rs.17 in March, has now risen to Rs.45-50. One kilogram of chicken meat, which cost Rs.460 in March, now costs around Rs.1080. The main reason for the tripling of prices, according to Mr. Gunasekara, is a lack of animal feed.
Mr. Gunasekara claims that the industry’s export market has also declined.
“We are unable to fulfill the aforementioned orders.” The previous administration advised us to start exporting as well. Farmers on a small and medium scale have improved their equipment and received quality certificates as a result. However, we are currently unable to complete those associated orders. According to him, the country loses around USD 1 million per month as a result of the collapse of the export sector.
Certain vitamins, minerals, and enzymes are required by the industry, but none is produced locally. These imports have been halted.
Since chicken meat and eggs are the most basic sources of animal protein for humans, poultry farmers have asked the government to classify the imports of animal feed as an essential service. However, they have not yet received a satisfactory response, according to Mr. Gunasekara.
Since the industry’s parent bird farms have stopped their buy-back programmes, 20,000 small and medium scale poultry farmers among 30,000, have already shut down their businesses, he claimed.
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