Safe food is interlinked with food security of a country, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda said at a programme on Sunday.
"As a major contributor of protein, the poultry sector should ensure safe chicken meat for the consumers, which is inevitable for future food security of the country," he said while speaking at the closing ceremony of a two-day seminar on food and environment safety.
World's Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) organised the seminar at a hotel in the capital.
Narayan Chandra Chanda said the lion's share of chicken meat and eggs is produced by the country's formal poultry industry which has created job opportunities for more than 6.0 million people.
When asked, the minister said stern action will be taken against those who are importing antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) without permission from the government.
Department of Livestock Service (DLS) director general Dr Md Ainul Haque said the department is now acting as a regulator as it is working with Institute of Public Health, Food Safety Authority, FAO and private entrepreneurs to make poultry meat safer.
WPSA-BB president Shamsul Arefin Khaled said the country's population is increasing while its arable land is decreasing.
Now it is a challenge to produce necessary foods for the people, he said, adding that 14 out of the 17 goals of SDGs have direct or indirect connections to the poultry sector.
He commented that poultry-rearing can double household income.
DG, BLRI Dr Nathu Ram Sarkar proposed upgrading the existing poultry policy.
Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC) president Moshiur Rahman said the sector has almost achieved self-sufficiency, considering the output of meat and eggs.
"But we are now focusing on the quality of products instead of the quantity," he said.
FAO consultant Shah Munir put emphasis on introduction of the direct market chain between small farmers and consumers to help eliminate middlemen. FAO senior nutritionist Dr Lalita Bhattacharjee concentrated on risk management in poultry farming and marketing.
Pro-vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) Prof Md Jashimuddin said both the government and the private sector will have to work together to ensure safe poultry feed which only can produce safer meat. Local and foreign researchers presented several papers on poultry farming, feed and technology at the two-day seminar.
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