August 10, 2007	Friday	Rajab 25, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 9: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to announce a package of incentives for the local poultry industry similar to the one offered to the foreign investors in the sector.

In a statement issued after a meeting with the office-bearers of poultry association here on Thursday, chamber president Shahid Hassan Sheikh said the local poultry industry would not be able to survive in the absence of matching incentives.

He said the poultry sector was at present contributing 30 to 35 per cent of the total meat consumption. It was generating employment and income for about 1.2 million people besides producing and supplying 4,136 million eggs and about 990,000 million kilogram meat.

Poultry was the cheapest available meat protein for the masses and an effective check on the spiralling animal protein prices. He said the poultry industry had prospered because of the government’s support, but the Pakistan Poultry Association was now concerned over the reports of signing an agreement between the government of Pakistan and a group of Thailand to start poultry business here.

Foreign investment was always welcome in developing countries, he said, but it should not be at the cost of the local industry.