ISLAMABAD, May 12: Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Khair Mohammad Junejo said the government would take effective steps to save the crippling poultry industry.

Presiding over a meeting of the Advisory Board of Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) here on Sunday, the minister said the industry would be saved as it had provided employment to thousands of people.

Mr Junejo said the government would announce a relief package for the industry after consultations with various ministries and provincial authorities. He said steps were being taken to solve the problems of the poultry farmers.

The PPA office-bearers told the minister that the poultry industry was on the verge of collapse. They asked the minister to take prompt action to save the industry from total disaster.

The PPA office-bearers said they had to sell chicken for Rs32 per kg despite the fact that the production cost on per kg chicken was Rs48. They said Afghanistan was a big poultry market. However, after the September 11 incident, the export of poultry items to Afghanistan had stopped, they said, adding that poultry farmers had to suffer a Rs6 billion loss due to this situation.

The meeting was attended by the PPA president, Dr Amjad, and other office-bearers including Khalil Sattar, Dr Sadiq, Dr Abdul Ghafoor and Mushtaq Shah.