‘Production cost increases prices of poultry products’

LAHORE : Cost of poultry products, including feed raw material, is increasing rapidly on a daily basis, claimed an office-bearer of Pakistan Poultry Association here Saturday.

Corn prices have shot up from Rs 1,132 per maund in July 2020 to Rs 1,700 per maund, soybean meal prices from Rs3,273 to Rs4,160, rice tip prices from 1,371 to Rs 1,800, wheat bran from Rs1,078 to Rs 1421, canola meal price from Rs2,412 to Rs2,508 and sunflower meal price from Rs1814 to Rs2160 per maund during the same period, said Raja Attique-ur-Rehman Abbasi, regional chairman, Pakistan Poultry Association (NR), in a press statement.

Particularly in the case of corn, a large-scale hoarding was being done. Profiteers have enough stocks but they are not releasing the same in the market. They are releasing small quantities and increasing prices on a daily basis. Feed prices during this period have gone up from Rs3085 for 50 kg bag to Rs3530 per bag. It would further increase feed prices in near future, he observed. The serious impact of increase in cost of production of feed would cause loss to the loss to the poultry farmers, which will result in reduced production and ultimately in the long-term increase prices of poultry products.

The protocols put in place in Covid-19 situation have reduced the consumption of chicken due to restrictions on restaurants and wedding gatherings which will further depress supplies and increase costs.

Avenues of import of corn should be left open by withdrawing customs duty and regulatory duty temporarily and, at the same time, customs duty on soybean oil seed – a raw material of oil sector – be brought down from 3 per cent to zero per cent and sales tax be brought down from 17 per cent to 05 per cent, he said.

Similarly, as soybean meal is an essential ingredient of poultry feed, customs duty on its import be brought down from 11 per cent to zero percent and sales tax be brought down from 17 per cent to zero per cent as in the case of sunflower meal. It is anticipated that if the poultry production is depressed for a longer period, it will result in reduction in placement of grandparent and parent stock chicks, which will effect production for next 77 weeks.

Action by the relevant department is needed to be taken on an urgent basis to save the poultry sector and consumers, concluded the office-bearer of Pakistan Poultry Association.