[🇧🇩] Poultry Industry in Bangladesh

[Saif]

Source : https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/columns/breaking-up-oligopoly-in-poultry-industry

Breaking up oligopoly in poultry industry
Atiqul Kabir Tuhin
Published :
Aug 21, 2024 21:58
Updated :
Aug 21, 2024 21:58

At a time when food security is severely under threat, with low and middle-income people forced to cut one essential item after another from their diet due to skyrocketing prices, the fact that a handful of big companies are manipulating the market for exorbitant profits is nothing short of being sinful and criminal.

The commercial poultry industry is a particular case in point, which is firmly in the grip of an oligopoly, with a few large players controlling a significant portion of the market. While the involvement of big farms in poultry, livestock and agriculture sectors is no doubt essential - given their ability to significantly boost production and meet the commercial demand through the adoption of modern methods that small-scale farmers cannot afford- this concentration of market monopolies has major drawbacks. These large farms have frequently been accused of establishing market control that artificially drives up the prices of various essential products.

Recently, Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA), a platform of marginal farmers, painted a disturbing picture of the country's poultry industry, where a few powerful corporations dominate the market at the expense of both marginal farmers and consumers. The BPA alleged that a few big companies in the sector made an additional profit of Tk 59.20 billion in the last one year through syndication in chicken and egg market.

The BPA stated that due to a syndicate of four to five corporate companies, the prices of feed and day-old chicks have become excessively high in the country, driving up the production costs of chicken and eggs. It noted that in India, the price of feed ranges from Tk 40-50 per kilogram, a day-old chick costs Tk 25-35, the production cost of an egg is Tk 5, and that of broiler chicken is Tk 76-86 per kilogram. In contrast, in Bangladesh, feed costs Tk 60-72 per kilogram, a day-old chick costs Tk 60-100, the production cost of an egg is Tk 10.29, and broiler chicken costs Tk 155-170 per kilogram.

This scenario is particularly alarming because it points to a systematic exploitation of the poultry sector, which is vital for the country's food security and rural economy. Marginal farmers are bearing the brunt of this exploitation, with many being forced to shut down their farms due to continued losses. This has also driven up retail prices, making these essential proteins unaffordable for many households, especially the poor and low-income earners

For millions of Bangladeshi families, egg and broiler chicken are often the last resort to fulfill their essential protein needs due to their relatively lower prices. Unfortunately, this alternative source of animal protein has also become a lot more expensive in the last couple of years, taking a heavy toll on poor and limited income people.

The situation is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, large-scale farms have the potential to enhance productivity, ensure food security, and contribute to economic growth by utilising advanced technology and economies of scale. On the other hand, when these farms dominate the market without adequate regulatory oversight, they can exploit their position to manipulate prices, hold consumers to ransom, prioritise profits over public welfare, and marginalise small-scale producers.

It is crucial, therefore, to strike a balance between encouraging large-scale production and ensuring fair competition. Regulatory bodies must monitor these big farms closely to prevent monopolistic practices and safeguard the interests of consumers and small farmers alike.

Additionally, the import of goods into the country is also largely dominated by a select group of companies. Currently, only certain companies are registered to import products, leading to a lack of competition in the market. This monopolistic environment restricts others from importing goods at perhaps lower prices, which in turn raises the prices.

To foster a competitive and beneficial environment, all types of companies, both small and large, should be allowed to register for importing products. It is also crucial to ensure that these companies can import and market their goods without any undue influence or obstruction. A higher number of importers will create a competitive market, stabilise supply, and ultimately reduce prices that will benefit both consumer and supplier.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), general inflation reached 11.66 per cent in the first month of the fiscal year 2024-25, a jump from 9.72 percent in the previous month. Worryingly, food inflation was reported at 14.10 percent in July - the highest in nearly a decade and a half.

For the impoverished people, who already spend the lion's share of their income on food just to survive, the situation has reached a critical point. A World Bank survey recently revealed that 71 per cent of people in Bangladesh are grappling with uncertainty about their ability to purchase food.

This dire state of food security is further underscored by another report from the World Food Program (WFP), which highlights that the poor are now spending 58 per cent more on food than they did just two years ago. In 2022, the monthly per capita cost of food for those living below the poverty line was Tk 1,851. This year, the average monthly per capita cost has shot up to Tk 2,923. This sharp rise in the cost of living has forced 68 per cent of the population to drastically cut back on their living expenses and protein intake risking ill health.

The newly formed interim government has an urgent responsibility to investigate unfair practices in the market, hold the manipulators accountable and make essential foods affordable. It must act decisively without delay to curb these abuses, restore fairness to the market, and protect the wellbeing of the nation.​

 

[Saif]

Protecting marginal poultry farms

Bangladesh's poultry market which supplies the cheaper variety of proteins like eggs and chickens to the general consumers often turns volatile. As usual, the blame for any sudden price hike of poultry products goes to the syndicates, meaning, the so-called nexus of the monopolies engaged in poultr

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Protecting marginal poultry farms
Editorial
Published :
Dec 18, 2024 00:16
Updated :
Dec 18, 2024 00:16

Bangladesh's poultry market which supplies the cheaper variety of proteins like eggs and chickens to the general consumers often turns volatile. As usual, the blame for any sudden price hike of poultry products goes to the syndicates, meaning, the so-called nexus of the monopolies engaged in poultry production and marketing. However, big companies in poultry business deny the allegations arguing that being a competitive market, it is not possible to distort it by any syndicate. Any attempt to that end, they contend, would end up in loss to such a syndicate. Amid such allegations and their denials, the net losers, obviously, are the general consumers, who have been paying through the nose whenever prices of eggs and chickens go up. Others at the receiving end in such eventualities are the small and marginal poultry farmers. As they have to buy poultry feeds and chicks from the large dealers of these items, any price escalation of the inputs drives up the production cost of the eggs and chickens the small farmers produce. As a result, they are often compelled to sell their products at a loss, while, benefiting from the economies of scale, large companies in the poultry sector continue to dominate the market and make huge profits, to great disadvantage of about 90 per cent of small and marginal farmers managing small poultry farms.

It is against this backdrop that a platform of the small and marginal poultry farmers and traders, the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA), has reportedly threatened to stop production of eggs and broiler chickens across the nation from January 1, 2025 unless their ten-point demands are met by the government. Notably, their demands include curbing the dominance of the corporate entities over the poultry sector, who, according to BPA leaders, were behind destabilisation of the chicken and egg market. At the same time, they (BPA leaders) were critical of the government for what they said its siding with the poultry corporates instead of resolving the crisis the small and marginal farmers are facing.

Understandably, it is out of desperation that the BPA has issued such an ultimatum, which no doubt demands serious attention of the government. For one cannot lose sight of the fact that livelihood of some five million people engaged in small-scale poultry farming and trading is at stake here. These small and marginal farmers have been the traditional supplier of poultry items to precede the emergence of modern poultry farming, let alone the corporate businesses in this sector. They still play a vital role in maintaining a stable supply chain in this sector, come rain or shine, and thereby contributing immensely to the nation's food security.

Therefore, the government should take steps to protect the small-scale operators in the poultry sector by enabling them to buy inputs like feeds and chicks to continue their business without depending on the large firms. Also, these cash-strapped small and marginal operators should have access to cheap, where possible, interest-free, credit so they could continue with their trade. It is highly concerning that, out of around 150,000 small and marginal poultry farmers in the past, according to some estimates, only about 60,000 are now surviving. In this regard, the BPA, for instance, has long been blaming the 'price manipulation of the feeds and chicks by poultry corporates' for disappearance of small poultry farms. That calls for strict monitoring and being merciless against any excesses committed by the corporate sector in this regard. At the same time, efforts should be there to help create an atmosphere of understanding among all parties in the greater interest of the poultry sector.​

 

[Saif]

The poultry industry became the scapegoat of inflation

Ministers and members of parliament of the previous government relentlessly blamed “syndicates” for increasing the prices of chicken, eggs and other foods.

www.thedailystar.net

The poultry industry became the scapegoat of inflation

The first possible cause of price rises is a shortage. FILE PHOTO: STAR

For the past few years, Bangladeshi consumers have suffered terribly due to price inflation. Ministers and members of parliament of the previous government relentlessly blamed "syndicates" for increasing the prices of chicken, eggs and other foods. Regulatory bodies like the Bangladesh Competition Commission subsequently ordered several large poultry companies to pay fines. These orders were stayed by the High Court; but this sequence of government actions culminated in the Department of Agricultural Marketing dictating ceiling prices for eggs and chicken. In any industry, ceiling prices tend to discourage further investment and may become counter-productive: without plentiful investment and expansion of production and supply, prices tend to remain high.

Absent from the above events was a real economic analysis of why the inflation occurred. Yet inflation is an economic phenomenon with well-understood causes, and it's worth looking at these.

The first possible cause of price rises is a shortage. Whenever there's a shortage of any good, consumers who want it bid up the market price. Economists call such inflationary shortages "supply shocks." In fact, the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 caused an international shortage of both grain and fuel as export of these from Russia and Ukraine were disrupted. Expensive maize and soybeans made poultry feed, fish feed, and cattle feed more costly. Thus, there was an element of supply shock inflation in 2022, which was not the result of syndicates but of the Ukraine war.

The second possible cause of inflation is a bit more technical; all prices rise when there's too much money being printed by the government. Money is exchanged for goods; so, when there's excess money, the value of money goes down, and the prices of all goods increase. For example, if the money circulating in Bangladesh suddenly increases by 50 percent, the price of an egg could be expected to rise from Tk 8 to Tk 12. This is monetary inflation, and it's also not caused by syndicates, but by economic mismanagement. Monetary inflation happens when a government spends more than what it receives in taxes, and decides to fill the gap (technically called the budget deficit) by irresponsibly printing money.

In published data, there is strong evidence that the AL government printed money irresponsibly. The following figures are found in the Monthly Economic Trends dated October 2024, published by the Department of Statistics of Bangladesh Bank.

What we see is that the total increase in currency in circulation was 44 percent over only three years (quite close to the 50 percent of the earlier egg price inflation example). So as per our earlier egg example, we might indeed expect a Tk 8 egg to rise close to Tk 12 over this period. In fact, this is more or less what happened. At the same time, prices of many other commodities including rice and vegetables also went up over the last few years. This widespread price rise across many sectors further indicates that the cause was monetary inflation. Effectively, the government printed money, which caused price to rise and made all Bangladeshis poorer.

Why would the previous government cause inflation and make everyone poorer by printing so much money? The answer is obvious: massive bank fraud which occurred during the previous government. Those weakened banks would certainly have failed, had money not been printed indiscriminately to bail them out. Had that been allowed, millions of families would have lost their savings and the economy would be mired in recession for years.

The politicians responsible for allowing banks to be looted, and then causing inflation by printing money to bail out those weak banks, are not likely to tell the truth about how they have made a mess of the economy. It's more likely that they would try to find a scapegoat to blame for rising prices. Unfortunately for the poultry industry, government ministers found it to be an easy target to blame. Eggs and broiler chicken are the animal proteins most consumed by the masses. Bureaucrats at the Competition Commission were happy to follow ministers' lead. The result is that an anti-business environment has been created in the poultry sector.

The question is how this mess will be fixed. Economic theory dictates that inflation has to be fixed by raising bank interest rates, which fortunately the interim government has already done. Printing money to prop up weak banks also has to stop. To restore a pro-business environment in the poultry sector, the unjustified Competition Commission cases should be dropped. The ceiling prices imposed by the Agricultural Marketing Department should also be increased, or preferably removed, to accelerate investment in poultry. Increased investment in chicken and eggs will raise their supply. This will ultimately lower prices through the economic rules of supply and demand, which always work more effectively and efficiently than government intervention.

Kazi Zeeshan Hasan is director at Kazi Farms Ltd.​

 

[Saif]

The previous government caused inflation, but blamed the poultry industry

For the past few years, Bangladeshi consumers have suffered terribly due to price inflation. Ministers and various MPs of the previous government blamed “syndicates” for increasing food prices, especially of chicken and eggs. The Bangladesh Competition Commission subsequently ordered se

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

The previous government caused inflation, but blamed the poultry industry
Zeeshan Hasan
Published :
Feb 15, 2025 14:43
Updated :
Feb 15, 2025 21:13

For the past few years, Bangladeshi consumers have suffered terribly due to price inflation. Ministers and various MPs of the previous government blamed “syndicates” for increasing food prices, especially of chicken and eggs. The Bangladesh Competition Commission subsequently ordered several large poultry companies to pay fines (including my company, Kazi Farms), although these Competition Commission orders were stayed by the High Court. This sequence of events ultimately led to the Department of Agricultural Marketing dictating ceiling prices for eggs and chicken. In any industry, ceiling prices tend to discourage further investment and may become counter-productive: without plentiful investment and expansion of production and supply, prices tend to remain high.

Absent from the above events was a real economic analysis of why the inflation occurred. Yet inflation is an economic phenomenon with economic causes, and it’s worth looking at these.

The first possible cause of price rises is a shortage. Whenever there’s a shortage of any good, consumers who want it bid up the market price. Economists call such inflationary shortages ‘supply shocks’. The outbreak of the Ukraine war at the start of 2022 caused a massive international shortage of both grain and fuel, as export of these from Russia and Ukraine were disrupted. In Bangladesh, this translated to higher maize and soybean prices, which are the main imported ingredients for fish, poultry and cattle feed; so the price of fish, chicken, eggs, beef and milk all went up within the year. Thus there was an element of ‘supply shock’ inflation in 2022 which was obviously not the result of syndicates, but of the Ukraine war.

The second possible cause of inflation is more technical; all prices rise when too much money is printed by the government. Money is exchanged for goods; so when there’s excess money, the value of money goes down, and the prices of goods increase. For example, if the money circulation in Bangladesh suddenly increases by 50 per cent, the price of an egg worth Tk 8 could also be expected to rise by 50 per cent (or Tk 4) to Tk 12. This is monetary inflation, and it’s also not caused by syndicates, but by economic mismanagement. Monetary inflation happens when a government spends more than what it receives in taxes, and unwisely fills the gap (technically called the budget deficit) by irresponsibly printing money.

Official data provides evidence that the previous government indeed printed money irresponsibly. The Statistics Department of Bangladesh Bank regularly publishes “Monthly Economic Trends.” The October 2024 issue of the publication showed that “Currency in circulation” was Tk 208,094.1 crore as of June 2020, which increased to Tk 311,947.8 crore in June 2023, recording an increase of 50 per cent in three years only. So, as per our earlier example, we may indeed expect that the price of an egg which was Tk 8 may rise closer to Tk 12. In fact, this is more or less what happened. Prices of many other commodities including rice and vegetables also went up over the last few years. This widespread price rise across many sectors is further evidence that the cause was monetary inflation. Effectively, price rise caused by printing excess money made Bangladesh poorer.

Why would the previous government cause inflation and make everyone poorer by printing too much money? Thanks to media reports of the massive bank frauds which occurred during the last several years, the answer is obvious: this money was needed to prop up banks which would have otherwise failed under the weight of bad loans taken out by party henchmen.

Once a government has made disastrous decisions like allowing banks to be looted, and then decides to print money to bail out those weakened banks, politicians are not likely to tell the truth about how they have made a mess of the economy. It’s more likely that they will try to find a scapegoat to blame for rising prices. Unfortunately for the poultry industry, government ministers found it to be an easy target, as eggs and chickens are the cheapest animal proteins and thus most frequently consumed by working and middle classes. The Competition Commission was happy to follow their lead and file baseless cases against the poultry industry. The result is that an anti-business environment has been created in the poultry sector.

The question is how this mess will be fixed. Economic theory dictates that inflation has to be fixed by raising bank interest rates, which fortunately the interim government has already done. Printing money to prop up sick banks also has to stop. To restore a pro-business environment in the poultry sector, the unjustified Competition Commission cases should be dropped. The ceiling prices imposed by the Agricultural Marketing Department should also be increased, or preferably removed, to accelerate further investment in poultry. Increased investment in, and production of, chicken and eggs will also enhance the supply of these items. This will ultimately lower prices through the economic rules of supply and demand, which always work more effectively and efficiently than government intervention.​

 

[Saif]

Poultry sector poised for multi-billion dollar growth by 2050: experts

The 13th International Poultry Show ends with nearly 30,000 visitors

www.thedailystar.net

Poultry sector poised for multi-billion dollar growth by 2050: experts
The 13th International Poultry Show ends with nearly 30,000 visitors

The poultry sector in Bangladesh, poised to become a multi-billion-dollar industry by 2050, showcased its significant investment potential at the 13th International Poultry Show, held recently at the Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Dhaka's Purbachal.

"Starting from zero, we now have an investment of nearly Tk 40,000 crore in the sector," said Masudur Rahman, president of the World's Poultry Science Association's Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB), according to a press release.

He made the remarks at the three-day event, which concluded today and attracted nearly 30,000 visitors.

Over 200 companies from 27 countries showcased products and services at more than 800 booths.

The event was jointly organised by the WPSA-BB and the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC).

Business deals worth at least several thousand crore taka were made, the press release stated.

It is expected that multiple small and large projects will be implemented within the next two years, significantly contributing to the production of safe eggs, chicken, and feed.

Rahman expressed optimism that the poultry industry would reach a market size of Tk 80,000 crore by 2050, adding that Bangladesh's poultry sector had the potential to become a model for South Asia.

"To sustain the domestic poultry industry, we must make farm registration mandatory for both large and small farms. Without proper waste-management planning, farms should not be allowed to register," he said.

He also highlighted the opportunities in poultry recycling and emphasized the need for special incentives to support the import of essential technologies and encourage entrepreneurs to establish industries.

Rahman further mentioned that Bangladesh is working towards achieving "net-zero carbon" in poultry farming.

By installing solar panels on the rooftops of large and medium-sized poultry farms, several hundred megawatts of electricity could be generated, he noted.

Shamsul Arefin Khaled, president of BPICC, stressed that proper training for farmers is crucial to ensuring the production of safe eggs, chicken, and feed.

He also emphasized the need to expand small farms.

"In just 54 years, we have increased availability from 1 kg of chicken meat and 20 eggs per person per year to nearly 10 kg of chicken meat and 135 eggs per person annually," he said.

"By 2035, we are hopeful that this number will double."

Khaled also pointed out that increasing protein consumption alone is not enough—it must go hand in hand with equitable distribution.

Biplob Kumar Pramanik, general secretary of WPSA-BB, stated, "If everyone consumes one egg per day, the poultry industry would double in size."

Although this year's fair was held somewhat on the outskirts of the city, it received an unprecedented response from poultry farmers and entrepreneurs, he added.

Mohammad Abu Sufian, director general of the Department of Livestock Services, remarked, "If we can effectively utilize advanced technologies and skilled manpower, we can achieve significant progress."

Andree Karstens, chargé d'affaires at the Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh, commented positively on the poultry industry's progress.

He said the Dutch government is implementing a project called "PoultryTech Bangladesh" to support its development.

Karstens also mentioned that enhanced cooperation in education and research between Bangladesh and Dutch universities would strengthen ties among poultry sector stakeholders, including teachers, researchers, and scientists.

He assured that the Dutch government would continue its support as a development partner in the future.​

 

[Saif]

Contract farming ensures growers’ profitability

Contract broiler farming for growing broilerchicken helps marginal farmers to reduce the cost of production, benefiting both growers and consumers. Industry insiders say many small farmers are now becoming contract farmers supported by large poultry companies and are growing broiler chickens in a

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Contract farming ensures growers’ profitability
Poultry companies bear risks & improve farm management

SULTANUL ISLAM
Published :
Mar 27, 2025 14:29
Updated :
Mar 27, 2025 15:51

Contract broiler farming for growing broilerchicken helps marginal farmers to reduce the cost of production, benefiting both growers and consumers.

Industry insiders say many small farmers are now becoming contract farmers supported by large poultry companies and are growing broiler chickens in a cost-effective manner. By becoming contract farmers, they avoid the risk of loss in the event of disease outbreak or an unexpected fall in broiler chicken price.

In more developed countries, including the US, Brazil, China, Thailand, and Indonesia, poultry companies outsource the growing of broiler chicken to independently owned small farmers. This system is now becoming common in Bangladesh, as farmers prefer to do business with companies directly instead of buying day-old chicks and feed through dealers (middlemen).

Companies engaged in contract farming enlist farmers who own broiler growing sheds and equipment. The companies provide the contract farmers with day-old chicks, feed and medicine. The writers of this report interviewed contract farmers of Kazi Farms. They receive chicks, feed, and vaccines free of cost from Kazi Farms, and earn a variable growing charge, which rewards them for higher productivity. Company officers monitor the broilers throughout the 35-day production cycle to help the contract farmers prevent diseases.

Independent marginal farmers sometimes face losses and are forced to shut down their farms after exhausting their capital. This is one reason why the production of broiler chicken sometimes falls and why the price sometimes increases. Contract farming is preferred by farmers as it does not require them to risk their limited capital.

Zahirul Islam (35), a farmer in Golda Para village in Sreepur, Gazipur, started contract farming about two years ago after making a loss of Tk 80,000 while doing poultry business with credit from a local dealer of chicks and feed. “Now, I rear around 1,000 birds and earn profit (growing charge) amounting to Tk 20,000 to Tk 40,000 in each production cycle,” he said. He mentioned that some independent farmers sold broiler chicken for Tk 136 per kilogramme in early March and incurred losses, but he was safe because his company paid him a growing charge even though the broiler price was low. “I have 1,100 broiler chickens now, which will be ready for selling during the Eid holiday. Many farmers are expecting to sell their chickens during Eid and expect to make a windfall profit, whereas my company will have to sell broilers at the maximum price of Tk 168 per kg ,which has been fixed by the authorities,” he told this author on 21 March.

Another contract grower of the same area, Mohammad Sumon (32), lamented that he lost a total amount of Tk 250,000 when he was growing broilers with inputs provided by a dealer. “At one stage, I had to work at a garment factory to support my family. I later joined with Kazi Farms under contract farming. Now, I draw Tk 30-40 thousand as profit for each batch and the money goes to my bank account without any hassle,” he added.

Bazlul Karim (62), a former expatriate worker of Dubail in Gafargaon, Mymensingh, said he failed in layer farming. “Currently, I am rearing broiler chickens under contract farming, and I get around 40,000 as profit in each cycle. I don’t need more profit; there is a risk of losing capital if I do it on my own,” he added.

Poultry expert Sumon Ali, who provides support to contract farmers, pointed out that inexperienced and ignorant farmers often make losses. After buying inputs from dealers, they often sell broilers at a low price. “Contract farming ensures guaranteed profit and also rewards farmers who can grow heavier broiler chicken with less feed.”

Director of Kazi Farms Kazi Zahin Hasan argues that contract broiler farming benefits marginal farmers. “Independent farmers are not actually independent, they are always in debt to dealers who sell them feed and chicks. Sometimes, farmers lose their capital because of disease outbreaks or when the broiler price is low. However, our contract farmers do not lose their capital in case of disease outbreaks. Some chickens die of disease, but our contract farmers are still paid a growing charge for the chickens which survived. If the broiler price is low, Kazi Farms might make a loss, but we still pay our contract growers the growing charge. Our contract farmers are satisfied. If they are not satisfied, they are free to become independent once the broilers are sold,” he said.​

 

[Saif]

undefined | The Financial Express

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Poultry association threatens to halt chicken, egg production from May
FE Online Desk
Published :
Apr 17, 2025 19:32
Updated :
Apr 17, 2025 19:56

The Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA), a platform of traders and farmers, has announced its decision to halt the production of broiler chickens and eggs in marginal poultry farms nationwide from May.

The decision comes as part of a protest demanding the removal of the corporate syndicates who, the BPA says, are monopolising the market and undermining small-scale farmers.

The association shared this information today (Thursday) through a press release.

In the release, BPA President Md Sumon Howlader said the strike will continue as long as the government does not take effective measures to dismantle the syndicate.

“Hundreds of farms are shutting down every day. Once a major source of employment in the country, the sector is now on the verge of collapse”, the release stated.

It alleged that due to the silence and inaction of the government and regulatory bodies, a few corporate companies are conspiring to take over the entire poultry industry.

“These corporations are not only controlling the supply of feed, chicks, and medicine but are also dominating the egg and chicken markets,” the statement read.​

 

[Saif]

Protecting marginal chicken farmers

The country's poultry sector is again in distress. But it is not due to any manmade crisis often created in the sector by the so-called profit-hungry syndicates. As in the past years, here nature is at work. A report published early last month (April) referring to the Bangladesh Meteorological Depa

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Protecting marginal chicken farmers
SYED FATTAHUL ALIM
Published :
May 19, 2025 00:23
Updated :
May 19, 2025 00:23

The country's poultry sector is again in distress. But it is not due to any manmade crisis often created in the sector by the so-called profit-hungry syndicates. As in the past years, here nature is at work. A report published early last month (April) referring to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said that mild to moderate heatwave was sweeping across 14 districts of the country and it might continue. The affected districts include Manikganj, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Sirajganj, Tangail, Lakshmipur, Feni, Jashore and Chuadanga. Last month, Baghabari of Sirajganj experienced the temperature at 38.2 degree Celsius, which experts termed moderate. However, as in the previous year (2024), the heatwave showed no sign of respite and on the 10th of this month (May), Chuadanga recorded 42 degree Celsius. Dhaka, too, did not lag behind, because on the same day, it recorded its highest temperature at 40.1 degrees Celsius. Similarly, according to the BMD, last year, 51 out of 64 districts of the country suffered blistering heat between 40 degree Celsius and 43 degree Celsius. What was the fallout from this extreme heat particularly on the poultry sector of Bangladesh? A report said, poultry farmers in the countryside might face 30 per cent production loss. The story is more or less the same this year, too. As claimed by the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA) in a recently published report, during the month-long heatwave, the poultry farmers have sustained a loss of about Tk 3.0 billion. The reason, according to BPA, is death in large numbers of the chickens of broiler and layer varieties. Broilers, notably, are reared for meat, while the layers for egg. As the reports go, thousands of these birds are dying everyday due to extreme heat. The situation has been further compounded by load-shedding. The administration, on its part, appears to be either clueless, or accepted it as fait accompli. Especially, most at risk are the broiler and the Sonali varieties of poultry birds that are dying, according to reports, at a 10 per cent rate, while the mortality rate of the layers is 5.0 per cent, the report goes. The victims of the heatwave are obviously not the corporate poultry companies, but the traditional marginal farmers who cannot afford air coolers and other modern facilities to protect their chickens. Since the marginal chicken farmers lack the capital to recuperate their investment so lost, they would usually give up on chicken farming altogether and look for other ways for survival. They may even migrate to cities to make a living either by selling labour or doing odd jobs. Since, these millions of marginal chicken farmers across the country meet more than 80 per cent of the demand for cheap protein both in the form of meat and egg, it is easily imaginable what a devastating impact they would leave on the country's nutritional health as well as food security if the marginal poultry farmers go out of business in droves. In fact, the corporate sector with its 20 per cent share of meat and egg production will not be in a position to bridge the nutritional gap any time soon. There is no scope to think that heatwave is a fortuitous event. It is clearly a product of climate change.

The elaborate report on the temperatures caused by heatwaves is to stress the fact that heatwaves and the high temperatures they generate are not a passing event. The deleterious impact of this prolonged heatwaves on the country's primary source of nutrition, poultry farming, is not going to ease off in the future. It is not only the poultry sector alone, the entire livestock sector will suffer the consequences of heatwaves, moderate or extreme. The coming years may be still worse. So, we have already passed the phase of complaining about how the marginal poultry raisers are at the receiving end and how much loss they have incurred during the last one month of extreme heatwave. Even so, it would be worthwhile to have an assessment what the marginal chicken farmers have gone through during the last one month of uninterrupted heatwave. Since the poor poultry farmers have no arrangements for keeping their chicken coops cool say by using air coolers as the corporate poultry industries do, they either leave the birds to their own devices or may provide them with sufficient water to drink or sprinkle water on them. This traditional approaches to keep the animals cool no doubt work. But what can they do when the chickens begin to eat less or even stop eating? If the temperature is above 35 degree Celsius and the relative humidity is above 70 per cent, the birds are in a hazardous condition. Unlike many mammals, chickens have no sweat glands. So, under extreme heat they cool themselves mainly by panting. But that is the natural way they try to survive in the face of extreme heat. Moreover, extreme heat along with attendant high level of humidity brings with it avian infections from Clostridia, Salmonella, Coliform bacteria and so on. These conditions worsen during extreme heat. But without necessary intervention from the government both in terms of veterinary service and finance, how can these marginal poultry farmers hope to survive?

Now the challenge before the government is enormous. The government will be required to come to the aid of the millions of poultry farmers spread across the country in a big way. Since the heatwave is not a temporary issue, the government will have to adopt a long-term strategy to address the heatwave-related problems in order to save the marginal chicken farmers. In this connection, the veterinary department will be required to be updated with modern researches on how the advanced nations are coping with extreme heat so far as protecting their poultry birds are concerned. However, traditional knowledge would also be important here, since our chickens grow in the open and have higher level of immunity. The country's veterinary scientists will have to blend traditional knowledge with modern knowhow to find out the most appropriate answer to protecting chickens against extreme heat.​