Budget proposals 2008-09: PPA demands interest-free loans upto Rs one million for poultry farmers

Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has demanded the government to provide interest-free loans up to Rs one million to small and medium size poultry farmers, besides other incentives for revival of the poultry industry. The demands came in the budget proposals of the association here on Thursday.
Chairman PPA Abdul Basit while briefing about the Budget Proposals-2008 for Poultry Sector, has demanded the government to give incentives to the sector in the upcoming budget to ensure it revival so that the demands of poultry products of the increasing population be met.
Demanding soft term loans for the sector, Abdul Basit said that the sector suffered huge loss of Rs 30 to 35 billions during 2006-07 due to the bird flu rumours. The quantum of losses and cumbersome modalities involved in compensation to poultry farmers, he added. It would be more advisable that interest free loans up to Rs one million be given and mark up should be picked up by the government as an incentive to small and medium size poultry farmers, he demanded.
The project loans should also be sanctioned on priority by the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan and The Bank of Punjab to attract new investments to sustain growth of poultry farming, he suggested. Abdul Basit said that the Banks discontinued this facility long ago. Further, the loan granted by National Banks to small and medium size poultry farmers be written off to encourage poultry farmers to continue poultry farming.
He demanded that about 50 percent subsidy on import of vaccine of H5N1 be provided. He suggested that 3 millions doses should always be made available in Veterinary Research Institute, Lahore to tackle any untoward situation in future.
Regarding "Registration of New Poultry Farms", Abdul Basit emphasised the need that the NOC for construction of new poultry farms be given through Secretary Livestock & Dairy Development Departments, of all provinces, in accordance with the following guidelines:
"(i). Distance at least one km from another poultry farm to 3km from hatcheries and breeding farms.
(ii).The proponent shall have fortification such that movement of men and animals is to be checked.
(iii) Proposed farm shall have boundary wall, gate, bio security room at the gate and a mortality pit in the premises of the farm.
He said small and medium size poultry farmers, who don't have B-I or B-II connections and have lower loads, are charged 100 percent of the electricity consumption at the commercial tariff rate of A-II. Since, they are in a productive activity, the application of the Commercial Tariff is unjustified, he argued.
He demanded that they should be charged at Industrial tariff as Poultry industry is a segment of agriculture and same tariff, which is applied on tubewells be applied on poultry farms.
The PPA chairman further demanded that handsome amount should be allocated for public awareness campaign in the budget so that a comprehensive public awareness campaign is to be initiated at government level to create awareness amongst the general public about Bird Flu. The association called for special rebate for advertisements on TV & Print media for public awareness on nutrition-related health issues.
PPA chairman urged the government to exempt from import duty disinfectants of all kind, which are used to disinfectant poultry farms/hatcheries etc, besides all kind of feed meals that are used in poultry feed, in the upcoming budget. The association demanded imposition of 100 percent import duty on chicken meat/eggs to discourage imports of poultry products so that development of local industry is not suffered any more.