Grass-route level poultry farm operators have sought the government’s interference to stop commercial sale of ready broiler and layer chicken by hatchery owners.

They said that several hundred thousand small poultry farmers who mainly operate their business at grass-route level, cannot sustain because of the commercial selling of ready broiler and layer chicken by the big poultry owners.

They also placed 8-point demands to resolve their prevailing crisis in business from a discussion meeting at the National Press Club on Sunday.

Kazi Mostafa Kamal, secretary general of the Bangladesh Grass-Route Level Poultry Farmers Unity Council, placed the demands at a discussion meeting titled: ``Miseries of Grass-Route Level Poultry Farmers and Way Out”. 

The function, with the organisation’s president Mizan Bashar in the chair, was also addressed by Trustee of the Gana Sastha Kendro Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, Bangladesh Kalayan Party Chairman Maj (Gen (retd) Muhammad Ibrahim and journalist Mostafa Kamal Majumder.  

Read: Provide emergency banking services in flood-hit areas: BB

The 8-point demands of the Bangladesh Grass-Route Level Poultry Farmers Unity Council include ensuring proper monitoring of small chicks by the Department Livestock Services, billing of electricity consumption at industrial rate, fixing the price of small chicks at Tk 30-32 as per the government’s notified order of 14th March 2010.

The other demands are free-supply of medicine and vaccines to the farmers to prevent the chickens from different diseases, providing soft and collateral-free loans to small-scale poultry farmers bringing them under a cooperative, and building shops at specific places in bazaars at every upazila to facilitate selling of the products by small farmers.

Kazi Kamal alleged that the small-scale farmers at grass-route level have been experiencing an anarchy-like situation for the last 12 years as they have to buy at Tk 90-100 per small chick from a few big hatchery operators.

The hatchery operators do not abide by the government’s order to sell the chicks at Tk 30-32, he added, saying that the price hike of poultry feeds also put them into big trouble.

“As a result, many small-scale poultry farmers left the business incurring huge financial loss,” he said.

Read: Air Astra prepares for IOSA ahead of commercial launch

Kazi Kamal said the big hatcheries are doing monopoly business in selling small chicks at their arbitrary rates violating the government’s order.

Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury urged the government to protect the small-scale poultry operators for the sake of the interest of the country.