Poultry farmers facing financial constraints
FHM Humayan Kabir | Tuesday, 24 February 2009
The country's poultry farmers have been facing financial constraints in restarting their business after the deadly attack of bird-flu left them with substantial losses.
"Many skilled farmers have become bankrupt due to attack of avian influenza virus. If the farmers do not get any support from the government and commercial banks, the poultry industry will fail to revive," Moshiur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh chapter of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) said.
The attack of bird-flu virus in the last two years has caused a loss of nearly Tk50.0 billion to the poultry industry, he said.
Investment in the sector was estimated at nearly Tk 120.00 billion ($1.75 billion) where some 3.5 million people are employed directly.
Before the disaster in the last two years, nearly 5.0 million people were employed in poultry industry, Mr Rahman, who is also the chief of a major poultry farm --Paragon Group --told the FE.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, there are about 150,000 poultry farms in Bangladesh, which produce 320,000 tonnes of meat and supplies over five million eggs annually.
Moshiur Rahman said: "Many small and medium farmers ate trying to restart their business. But they cannot do so because of their debt burden to different commercial banks."
"We have requested the government to enable the farmers have easy access to bank loans. If the banks provide the opportunities many farmers will invest again to restructure their poultry farms," he said seeking credit with less than five per cent interest rate.
WPSA said some 50,000 poultry farms out of the total nearly 150,000 have closed down because of attack of the avian influenza virus in the last two years in the country while some 0.15 million people lost their jobs.
"I invested Tk 0.70 million taking loan from a bank for my small poultry farm. But I lost all after the attack of bird-flu. Now I cannot restart farming as I have been failing to repay the loan," said Mahudur Rahman, a small poultry farmer in Rajshahi.
"If the bank does not give me fresh loans and allows me to repay the previous debt over a period of time, I will not be able to restart my business," he said.
Head of programme (agriculture) of BRAC Dr. A Saleque said many poultry farmers wants to restart their business but most of them were failing to do so because of lack of funds and support from the banks.
At a tripartite meeting between the commerce ministry, commercial banks and poultry businessmen, the banks assured of funding to the impoverished poultry sector, but most of them are not doing that, he said.
"Many skilled farmers have become bankrupt due to attack of avian influenza virus. If the farmers do not get any support from the government and commercial banks, the poultry industry will fail to revive," Moshiur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh chapter of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) said.
The attack of bird-flu virus in the last two years has caused a loss of nearly Tk50.0 billion to the poultry industry, he said.
Investment in the sector was estimated at nearly Tk 120.00 billion ($1.75 billion) where some 3.5 million people are employed directly.
Before the disaster in the last two years, nearly 5.0 million people were employed in poultry industry, Mr Rahman, who is also the chief of a major poultry farm --Paragon Group --told the FE.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, there are about 150,000 poultry farms in Bangladesh, which produce 320,000 tonnes of meat and supplies over five million eggs annually.
Moshiur Rahman said: "Many small and medium farmers ate trying to restart their business. But they cannot do so because of their debt burden to different commercial banks."
"We have requested the government to enable the farmers have easy access to bank loans. If the banks provide the opportunities many farmers will invest again to restructure their poultry farms," he said seeking credit with less than five per cent interest rate.
WPSA said some 50,000 poultry farms out of the total nearly 150,000 have closed down because of attack of the avian influenza virus in the last two years in the country while some 0.15 million people lost their jobs.
"I invested Tk 0.70 million taking loan from a bank for my small poultry farm. But I lost all after the attack of bird-flu. Now I cannot restart farming as I have been failing to repay the loan," said Mahudur Rahman, a small poultry farmer in Rajshahi.
"If the bank does not give me fresh loans and allows me to repay the previous debt over a period of time, I will not be able to restart my business," he said.
Head of programme (agriculture) of BRAC Dr. A Saleque said many poultry farmers wants to restart their business but most of them were failing to do so because of lack of funds and support from the banks.
At a tripartite meeting between the commerce ministry, commercial banks and poultry businessmen, the banks assured of funding to the impoverished poultry sector, but most of them are not doing that, he said.