News
Poultry farms struggling without feed, industry says
View(s):By Yoshitha Perera
From March to June, the production of broiler meat decreased by 30% to 12,000 metric tonnes a month from 18,000 metric tonnes, and prices had 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, Ajith Gunasekara, chairman of the All-Island Poultry Association said. 
“The industry has shrunk by 40% due to severe shortage in animal feed production. We are paying Rs. 10 billion to the government annually and that is also not happening due to the decrease in production. At present raw materials produced in the country are also not available,” he said.
The former government initially mentioned that animal feed should be imported on credit basis and parent companies obtained it for a credit facility through large-scale multinational feed millers. “But even after four months, we have not 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 said.
Basic protein sources such as eggs and poultry will need to be imported soon and will eventually become a luxury, the industry said. “The cheapest way to get protein is to eat eggs. But the egg which was Rs.17 in March has now increased to Rs.45-50. 1 kg of chicken meat, which was Rs. 460 in March, has now cost around Rs.1250. The main reason for the tripling of prices is the unavailability of animal feed,” Mr. Gunasekara claimed. 
According to Mr. Gunasekara, the industry’s export market has also plummeted.
“We are unable to fulfill the orders in question. The previous administration had recommended us to begin exporting as well. Small and medium-scale farmers have improved their equipment and gotten quality certificates as a result. But just now, there is no possibility for us to finish those associated orders. The country loses around USD 1 million per month as a result of the collapse of the export sector, he claimed.
The industry needs certain vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, none of which is produced locally. Imports of these 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. 
About 300,000MT of soybean meal and 600,000MT of maize are needed annually for the industry.
“Maize is the energy source; otherwise, we will have to feed livestock with rice bran and other byproducts. We cannot use rice bran as animal feed, though, according to the Extraordinary Gazette issued last Friday [June 24],’’ he said.
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has issued an Extraordinary Gazette prohibiting the sale or use of rice or paddy for animal feed production.
The yearly local production of maize is 50%. However during the most recent Maha season, the harvest was not adequate. Poultry farmers only received 75,000MT of corn. 
Annually, the agriculture industry receives between 350,000 and 400,000MT of maize. The last time there was no such harvest, intermediaries were also hoarding the corn grown locally, he asserted.
The most crucial source of protein for farm animals is soybean meal, which the poultry producers had not been able to buy.
Animal feed must include adequate nourishment, or else, poultry farming is pointless. Another reality is that it will take another three to four years to resurrect such a business if it fails. Pix by Akila Jayawardena
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