Non-clearance of vessels with soyabean: PPA decides to mount protest tomorrow

LAHORE: The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has decided to launch a protest demonstration from Thursday to press the government to resolve the issue of import of soyabean as non-clearance of these vessels is resulting in increase in poultry meat prices besides creating apprehensions of total closure of poultry farms in future.

PPA Punjab Chairman Chaudhry Nusrat while talking to the Business Recorder said that vessels were stuck at the ports since last two and half months.

He said there were over 400 feed mills mainly in Punjab and Sindh and due to non-availability of soyabean meal they were either forced to close down their work or shift to other protein sources. He claimed around 30 per cent feed mills were closed.

Similarly, he said some poultry farmers also manufacture feed for their birds at their farms which costs them less as compared to commercial feed. However, he said this “home mixture” is now costing them heavily because they have to shift to other components.

Chaudhry Nusrat said one of the stuck vessels had been cleared on Monday and they were waiting now to see the further action by government on their request. “However, if the issue is not resolved till Thursday, they will be forced to stage protest demonstration in the provincial metropolis to press the government for acceptance of their demand.”

He further said that the price of chicken meat had crossed Rs 500 per kg level and as per the market committee notification it is hovering around Rs 524 per kilogram. The same was Rs 358 per kilogram on November 01, 2022. He said the importers were also bearing demurrages of $ 400,000 per day on vessels parked at the port and not being cleared.

Muhammad Khalique Arshad, a prominent name in feed, poultry and value added poultry industry, said there were many other substitutes of soyabean such as fish meal and oilseeds but feed prepared from these sources do not help the chicken to get weight and growth rapidly.

He said that soybean meal help attain required weight by the chicks in 35 days but feed other than that takes 55 days.

He said if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, coming days will be very harsh for the industry and the farmers. He predicted that present crisis may force the farmers to leave farming and the market will be dry of the chicken meat in next two to four months.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023