The country’s poultry industry has achieved self-sufficiency in meeting local demand for meat and eggs, a roundtable was told in Dhaka yesterday.
The industry is now producing 1,500 tonnes of poultry meat against the target of 1,400 tonnes per day while 1.6 crore eggs against the demand for 1.5 crore and 95 lakh pieces of chicken against a demand for 85 lakh pieces of chicken, industry insiders informed the meeting.
As a result, the industry has now exportable surplus.
“The local producers has been making additional production in the last few months while the investments has now crossed Tk25,000crore and will be doubled within 2030 if the government supports the sector properly,” convener of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee (BPICC) Moshiur Rahman said.
Admitting the lack of sequence between supply and production, he said the industry would soon cover that up and will start working towards establishing a media cell to help media getting proper information on the sector.
He was addressing at the roundtable titled “Poultry Industry-Media Cooperation” at the National Press Club yesterday. BPICC has organised the programme to enhance cooperation between the poultry entrepreneurs and the media for building a brand image of the industry.
Presenting the keynote speech, Centre for Policy and Dialogue additional research director K G Moazzem said the country has achieved self sufficiency in production, but the local farmers are now facing losses due to the lack of coordination between the demand and supply.
The demands for the products are gradually increasing, but the sector is failing to export the products due to lack of balance between the demand and supply, resulting in putting up the shutters of 2,500 firms, he said.
The industry, which is now considered as the second employment generating sector of the country, was hit hard by the bird flu in 2007 and 2009 as the number of poultry firms were reduced to 55,000 in 2013 from 1,15,000 in 2007. The industry is now contributing around 1% of the Gross Domestic Product.
“Despite having export potential, Bangladesh could not export due to lack of maintaining international standard for having the risk of avian influenza virus by the chicken and lack of sufficient safeguard mechanism at the firm level to protect the affects of the virus,” he said.
The CPD researcher suggested the industry to take support from media to change the behavioral things inside the consumers mind through the use of digital and IT based tools, massive advertisement campaigns, and by using the non-traditional media like community radios.
Former director general at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute Khan Shahidul Haque suggested the industry to focus on some value addition in its products in the market for minimising gaps between supply and production.
Addressing the roundtable, speakers suggested the entrepreneurs to expedite the process of establishing the poultry board by lobbying with the government and establish a media bank or cell where newsmen could get necessary information while preparing a report on the sector.
Boishakhi Television editor-in-chief and CEO Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul suggested the producers to make international standard products to compete with global companies in the export arena.
Regarding the negative news which creates panic among people, he said an information cell is needed to minimise the wrong information, which sometimes published at the media for lack of available resources.
“Bolster connection among the industry insiders and with the government. After establishment of internal interaction, media will automatically be a part of the campaign,” he said, adding that the sector insiders should work on implementation of the plan to establish a poultry board through huge campaigns.
The programme was moderated by Jamuna Television head of business Zakaria Kajol while Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan, Prothom Alo joint editor Sohrab Hasan, Kazi Farms Limited director Kazi Zahin Hasan, Breeders Association of Bangladesh Secretary General Saidur Rahman Babu also spoke among others.
