It is highly welcome that our nation is now self-sufficient in meeting local demands for poultry products.
The role of private enterprise in boosting production and improving quality has been vital to bring the country to the stage where a growing number of food sectors are significant exporters.
Frozen food exports, led by shrimp account for around 3% of total exports and GDP and Bangladesh accounts for 2.5 % of the world shrimp market.
Poultry producers and processors are an increasingly significant part of our economy. With over Tk25,000cr of investment, the industry employs the second-largest number of people, and contributes to over 1% of GDP.
At present, despite self-sufficiency in production and growing demand, local poultry producers still face difficulties in exporting their products. Factors holding back coordination between demand and supply need to be tackled. The government should listen to the concerns of producers to help change things around.
The role of government is especially important to reassure consumers, both at home and abroad that our food supply chain meets the highest standards. It is encouraging that courts have belatedly listened to the demands of poultry producers to take action against factories which have been using waste material from tanneries in the production of feed.
With food safety and exports so important to the nation’s well-being, the government cannot afford to ignore the reasonable demands of consumers and food producers.