BANGLADESH Poultry Khamar Rakkha Jatiya Sangram Parishad (Bangladesh Poultry Farm Protection National Action Council) demanded banning of import of eggs and poultry birds from India. The poultry farmers, according to an earlier announcement by this organisation, would go for hunger strike unless their demand was accepted. This was stated by the council leaders at a recent news conference in Dhaka.
They expressed resentment for not inviting the poultry farm owners' representative to a recent meeting held under the chairmanship of the secretary to the ministry of commerce, on the issue.
As a consumer I would like to draw the attention of the government as well as the poultry farmers to the fact that prices of ingredients of poultry feed have come down to a reasonable level. These were sky high last year. Consumers in India purchase a poultry bird at a price much less than that in Bangladesh. It happens due to government protection.
The sky high prices of eggs and poultry birds in Bangladesh make the common consumers suffer. Many of them cannot afford eggs and chicken or other animal protein in their daily meals. The government should seriously look in to the matter for a rational solution.
As an overwhelming majority of the voters cast their vote in favour of Awami League (AL) in the last election, the government has the responsibility to protect their interest also. The poultry feed prices in India and in Bangladesh are not so different now. Why then a Bangladeshi has to buy chicken and eggs at higher prices? Poultry farm owners have to be reasonable in doing business.
I would like to request the government to allow the import of poultry birds and eggs from any country on a 10 per cent duty to bring a balance between the interests of the consumers and the poultry farmers.
Md. Ashraf Hossain
8/A, Ramna, Dhaka-1000
The consumers versus poultry farmers
FE Team | Published: July 24, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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