Pakistan Poultry Association (Northern Zone) has categorically made it clear that the poultry feed is not being imported in Pakistan. Under Pakistani law, the import of any ingredient that contains material of porcine origin is banned. This was disclosed by the PPA (NZ) Chairman Dr Abdul Karim Bhatti while addressing a press conference here on Thursday in response to a resolution tabled in the Punjab Assembly regarding alleged mixing of porcine in the feed being imported from different countries including India by the poultry industry.
Dr Abdul Karim Bhatti accompanied with Abdul Hayee Mehta and Raza Khursand said that the exporters while sending any edible ingredients to Pakistan certify that their product was free from materials of porcine origin. At the port of entry in Pakistan the feed products are tested by the government department concerned and it is ascertained that the product is free from pork fat and meat etc, they added.
They said that the news of alleged mixing of porcine misconceived, the proposed resolution had been splashed in the electronic media and had triggered speculative and uncalled for discussion as to whether chicken was `Haram' by virtue of consumption of the said so called poultry feed.
In our country, a huge majority of our people are generally deficient in animal protein. As per UNICEF report 44 percent of our children in the age group 5 to 15 years suffer from stunting. This percentage of stunting was perhaps the highest in the world. In such scenario poultry meat and eggs is a hope and an affordable source to bridge this deficiency, they said.
Poultry sector produces prime quality animal protein ie, chicken and eggs. It contributes about 40 percent of the total meat consumed in our country. It provides 10.5 Kg meat and 90 eggs /capita/annum. Poultry sector consumes host of by-products produced by agro-industrial enterprises like solvent extraction, wheat and rice milling, Gelatin Industry and transportations etc, and is also supporting a number of agricultural crops like corn, sorghum.
They claimed that today Poultry farmer was unable to understand the motive behind this current resolution. They demanded that the Chief Minister of Punjab, and Speaker Punjab Assembly, Rana Mohammad Iqbal should constitute a proper fact finding inquiry into the allegation made by the said MPA. The inquiry should also suggest means to compensate already financially distressed farmer to bear the additional blow generated by current situation, they concluded.
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