Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association (NZ), Raza Mehmood Khursand has warned of a possible short supply of poultry in the province in coming days and high poultry meat prices because of blockade of traffic by the government to restrict the movement of Tahirul Qadri supporters.
In a press statement issued here on Monday, he said the poultry industry is facing great difficulties because of containers placement at various places of the province. Hatcheries, which are producing day-old chick, are unable to distribute them to the farms. Parent stock hatcheries are unable to deliver parent stocks to the breeder farms. Number of feed containers that were destined for Attock, Chakwal and Abbottabad had been seized on GT Road by the police to block the roads.
Supply of diesel to the farms has also been adversely affected. The lack of diesel in controlled environment farms can result into 100 percent mortality for want of air circulation in the houses, Raza feared. Shortage and non-supply of feed can also result in mortality. Non-delivery of broiler day-old chicks is causing a severe loss to the hatcheries, as the highly perishable chicks can neither be stored nor used for any other purpose. Their non-placement at the farms will create a short supply in the coming weeks which will force the increase in prices of chicken meat. Non-placement of parent stocks will create a long-term short supply after six to seven months for a prolonged period of a year to 14 months, Khursand added.
The association had laid these facts before the Secretary Livestock who convinced the relevant government quarters to facilitate poultry but unfortunately the containers could not be removed for the movement of vehicles carrying day-old chicks, feed or diesel to the poultry farms, as such, the sector has suffered and is extremely apprehensive of what would happen in the coming days, PPA chairman claimed.