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Small and marginal poultry farmers in Bangladesh are facing a severe crisis as syndicate of major companies have increased prices of one-day chicks and poultry feed, said the market insiders.
The indiscriminate price hike has kept the small farm owners out of production and also paved ways for the big companies to remain in the market and take out the total benefit of the sector, they said.
According to them, around 12 companies including Kazi Farms Ltd, Aftab Bahumukhi Farms Limited, Paragon Poultry Ltd, CP Bangladesh and Hatchery Limited, Provita Hatcheries Ltd, Nourish Poultry & Hatchery Ltd and Nahar Poultry Breeders & Poultry control the whole broiler chicken and poultry feed market.
Sumon Hawladar, president of the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA), however claimed that 30 large breeding companies were increasing the price of one-day chick after making a syndicate.
“Large companies were increasing one-day aged chicken prices abnormally in a couple of months to keep small farms out of production and take control of the poultry sector,” he alleged.
According to the marginal level farmers, the corporate companies have fixed the price of chicks at Tk 35 and feed sacks at Tk 2600 for all time for the contracted farmers.
But the marginal farmers, who did not sign a contract with them, have to buy each one-day chick at Tk 80-90 per piece and feed at Tk 3740 per sack, they alleged.
Records show that the price of one-day chick was Tk 35-43 per piece in the last week of January and Tk 45-53 per piece in the first week of February, but it increased to Tk 60 per piece in the last week of February. The price of chicken saw a significant jump in the first week of March and it has now reached Tk 80-90 per piece in the first week of April.
AHM Shafiquzzaman, Director General of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, told the Daily Sun that they have formed a committee to find out the production cost of one-day chicken and feed price.
“The committee will find out the production cost and fixed trade price of one-day chicken and poultry feed,” he said.
“The officials say they are doing it on an ad hoc basis but the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has their responsibility,” Shafiquzzaman said.
BPA President Sumon Hawladar said, “Marginal farmers are suffering losses in production of chickens as they have to buy chicks and feed at high prices from breeders.”
He said, “The production cost of one-day chicken is Tk 28-30 per piece, but the breeders are selling it at Tk 70-90 per piece.”
The country has around 140 breeding companies that produce around 20 lakhs of one-day chick per day, said Suman Hawlader, alleging that “30 large companies are increasing the price of one-day chick after making a syndicate.”
The statistics of BPA show that one lakh marginal farmers have been forced to close their poultry farms as they could not survive in competition with corporate companies.
Only 60,000 marginal farmers are still struggling under the scourge of these corporate poultry companies.
However, out of these 60,000 farmers, 12,000 have already been forced to contract with corporate companies, said the market insiders.
(DS)
