Bird flu vaccination crucial for poultry industry
Friday, 18 September 2009
Zeeshan Hasan
The government recently decided to allow the import of Indian eggs, and possibly layer chicks, in order to reduce the price of eggs. This is a mistaken policy which ignores the role of bird flu in the current high price of eggs, and is counter-productive.
The nature of market is that there will be ups and downs, depending on changes in demand and supply. In the real world, there are some factors which can suddenly and unpredictably increase or decrease supply or demand and create big swings in commodities prices. In this case of poultry, bird flu was such a factor. No one could have predicted two years ago that thousands of layer farmers who produce the country's egg supply would be wiped out by bird flu during 2008, and that there would be a huge shortage in 2009.
The current shortage in the egg market was inevitable after so many egg producers were driven out of business last year by bird flu. The regular functioning of the egg market is already working to control prices; many layer farmers who made huge losses last year are now recovering their investment and expanding production for the next year. There will be higher supply of eggs next year at a lower price. In any market, high prices give producers an incentive to expand, making prices fall.
However, the recently announced government policy on egg import is likely to completely reverse the trend of recovery in egg production. Former layer farmers are suddenly wondering if they should switch from layers to broilers, as broilers cannot be cheaply transported and their price is less likely to crash due to a flood of Indian imports. In that case, the growth in the egg production will get stunted. Layer farmers will quickly switch over to broiler farming, and the country will be permanently dependent on Indian eggs.
Why are Indian eggs cheaper? The answer is that Indian farmers have managed to avoid the cycle of bird-flu boom and bust that we have seen for the last two years. The reason is that in spite of the Indian government banning bird flu vaccination of poultry flocks in India, farmers there routinely use locally-manufactured bird flu vaccines. However, Bangladesh farmers have no such option. They have simply been wiped out by bird flu. Bangladeshi farmers can only compete with Indian farmers if we are given access to vaccines against bird flu.
It is time for the government to admit that it has followed the wrong policy by not allowing vaccination of high-value, long-lived poultry flocks like layers and breeders. Layers and breeders live and consume costly feed for at least 18 months, and thus become very risky if bird flu is not prevented. That has proved difficult without vaccines. The continued ban on vaccination of poultry flocks has trapped Bangladesh in a cycle of bird-flu boom and bust which is responsible for high egg prices. Vaccinating layers against bird flu is the only long-term solution to high egg prices.
The writer is a director of Kazi Farms Group. He can be reached at: www.kazifarms.com
The government recently decided to allow the import of Indian eggs, and possibly layer chicks, in order to reduce the price of eggs. This is a mistaken policy which ignores the role of bird flu in the current high price of eggs, and is counter-productive.
The nature of market is that there will be ups and downs, depending on changes in demand and supply. In the real world, there are some factors which can suddenly and unpredictably increase or decrease supply or demand and create big swings in commodities prices. In this case of poultry, bird flu was such a factor. No one could have predicted two years ago that thousands of layer farmers who produce the country's egg supply would be wiped out by bird flu during 2008, and that there would be a huge shortage in 2009.
The current shortage in the egg market was inevitable after so many egg producers were driven out of business last year by bird flu. The regular functioning of the egg market is already working to control prices; many layer farmers who made huge losses last year are now recovering their investment and expanding production for the next year. There will be higher supply of eggs next year at a lower price. In any market, high prices give producers an incentive to expand, making prices fall.
However, the recently announced government policy on egg import is likely to completely reverse the trend of recovery in egg production. Former layer farmers are suddenly wondering if they should switch from layers to broilers, as broilers cannot be cheaply transported and their price is less likely to crash due to a flood of Indian imports. In that case, the growth in the egg production will get stunted. Layer farmers will quickly switch over to broiler farming, and the country will be permanently dependent on Indian eggs.
Why are Indian eggs cheaper? The answer is that Indian farmers have managed to avoid the cycle of bird-flu boom and bust that we have seen for the last two years. The reason is that in spite of the Indian government banning bird flu vaccination of poultry flocks in India, farmers there routinely use locally-manufactured bird flu vaccines. However, Bangladesh farmers have no such option. They have simply been wiped out by bird flu. Bangladeshi farmers can only compete with Indian farmers if we are given access to vaccines against bird flu.
It is time for the government to admit that it has followed the wrong policy by not allowing vaccination of high-value, long-lived poultry flocks like layers and breeders. Layers and breeders live and consume costly feed for at least 18 months, and thus become very risky if bird flu is not prevented. That has proved difficult without vaccines. The continued ban on vaccination of poultry flocks has trapped Bangladesh in a cycle of bird-flu boom and bust which is responsible for high egg prices. Vaccinating layers against bird flu is the only long-term solution to high egg prices.
The writer is a director of Kazi Farms Group. He can be reached at: www.kazifarms.com