Demand for keeping poultry products-carrying vehicles outside purview of hartal-blockade

FE Team | Published: December 27, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

FE Report
Country's poultry farm owners at a human chain demanded Thursday that the transportation and supply of poultry related products like meat, feed, medicine, day- old chicks, eggs and machineries be kept outside the purview of blockades, hartals or any other political programmes.
As a mark of protest, they gave away nearly 25,000 pieces of day- old chicks (DOCs) to the passersby in front of the National Press Club in the city where they formed the human chain protesting the inactions by the government and the authorities concerned.
The National Press Club and its adjacent areas became earsplitting with the chirping of thousands of day- old birds while hundreds of people, who were passing through the busy road, started competing to collect a chick in the morning.
A ten- point demand was placed from the human chain to the government that includes interest- free loan with a minimum two-year term for the small and grassroots farmers, cash incentives, rescheduling of loans and loan interest waiver for last six months etc.
Bangladesh Poultry Industries Coordination Committee (BPICC), a platform of six poultry related associations, organised the bizarre protest to make the people realise that growth of the birds was impossible for lack of feed.
"Please take these chicks and feed them, we have no feed to make them grow amid a halt in transportation," the association placards read.
BPICC convener Moshiur Rahman said that 36,000 poultry farms have already been closed due to the ongoing political unrest which has almost paralysed the transportation system.
"Livelihoods of nearly 7.0 million people, involved in the sector are now at a stake," he said at his post- human chain speech.
He informed the newsmen that 15,000 tonnes of broiler chickens and 31.5 million pieces of eggs remain unsold per week.
"The industry with an investment of Tk.250 billion and annual turnover of Tk.300 billion is now at a stake," he said.
Annisul Huq, former president of FBCCI urged the ruling and opposition parties to resolve their disputes.
"Please stop your quarrel and let us live," he said.
He mentioned the poultry sector as a leading employment generating one in the country which has been playing a major role in poverty alleviation.
"Poultry sector contributes 75 per cent of the total demand for meat," he said.
Kazi Zahedul Hasan, Managing Director of one of the leading poultry farms in the country Kazi Farms Ltd said: "The country will face an acute protein crisis in the long run as thousands of farms have already been closed. Even after the political settlement the nation will have to face its negative impact."
He said that the price of poultry products might go up in future as a resultant of the current political crisis.
Saidur Rahman Babu, general secretary of the Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB) said: "Any other industry can stop production if situation demands but you cannot stop production of living birds, egg-laying hens and cannot keep the chicks starving."
He said: "We are losing 30 to 40 per cent of the production cost every day. If this situation continues, most of the farms will have to shutdown and the consumers will not get poultry eggs and meats even they have money in their pockets".
"The breeders are forced to destroy around 3 million day-old chicks every week amid scarcity of feed caused by disruption in transportation," he added.
Fazle Rahim Khan Shahriar, secretary of the Feed Industries Association Bangladesh (FIAB) blamed that the political parties are forcing the country to be import dependant on eggs and meat.
"Their activities are spoiling the smooth business atmosphere. It would take three years to make over the losses," he said.

He informed that the feed industry has incurred losses to the tune of around 10 billion taka in the last three months.
"Around 47 vehicles carrying feed, chicken and DOCs were torched or damaged severely during hartals-blockades"
He also pointed out that the truck fare which was Tk18000-20,000 increased to Tk 0.1 million during blockade.
Dr M Nazrul Islam, General Secretary of the Animal Health Companies Association of Bangladesh (AHCAB) said medicines worth Tk.150 million remained unsold every week due to the political unrest.
Rafiqul Haque, Secretary of the World's Poultry Science Association- Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) demanded a tax- free poultry industry up to 2025 and removal of port duty for delay including other supplementary taxes.
The participatory farmers and farm owners at the human chain threatened that next time they would bring millions of chicks and scatter them in front of the house of 'the Prime Minister' and 'the Opposition Leader' if their demands are not met.
Prof S.D Chowdhury, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Taher Ahmed Siddiki, president of the Bangladesh Egg Producers' Association (BEPA) among others, were also present.
However, BPICC on December 11 last submitted memoranda to chiefs of three major political parties in the country seeking a peaceful environment for keeping the supply chain of poultry and other related products uninterrupted across the country.
The memos were submitted to Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Opposition Leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and former President and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad.