July 27, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 23, 1429

LAHORE, July 26: Punjab Poultry Association has urged Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to take steps for resolving the serious crisis threatening the existence of the industry in the province due to unchecked increase in feed prices.

An appeal to the effect was made during the provincial convention of the poultry farmers organised by the association here on Saturday with Dr Sajid Nazir in the chair. Pakistan Poultry Association former chairman Raza Mahmood Khursand was the guest of honour.

The speakers, including former PPA chairmen Dr.Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry and Khalid Salim Malik, Kohsar Poultry Farmers Association president Raja Ateeq Abbasi, association market wing convener Rai Mansab Khan and broiler wing convener Muhammad Azmat Chaudhry said 83 per cent increase in feed prices, bird flu and overproduction during the past one and a half years had landed the industry in a serious crisis.

Around 35 per cent poultry farms had closed down and the rest were on the verge of closure due to 100 per cent increase in production cost. Around 100,000 persons had lost employment as a result of closure of the poultry farms.

They said the Punjab government should come to the rescue of the poultry industry because 70 per cent of its products were consumed in the province and agricultural crops like maize, canola and soyabean used in poultry feed were produced in the province. They said increase in poultry feed prices was unjustified and required to be controlled because the prices of the three crops had reduced in the open market.

They said not only chicken meat prices would increase but mutton and beef rates would also go up in case the government did not check the unjustified increase in poultry feed prices.