ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: The poultry sector, which has just weathered a loss of Rs5 billion during the Bird Flu crisis , is fearing billions of rupees loss after the Supreme Court restored ban on wedding feasts.

A delegation of the Pakistan Poultry Association raised the fear in a meeting with the high officials of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) here on Friday.

The decision of the Supreme Court banning serving of meals or other edibles, except hot and cold drinks at wedding ceremonies in clubs, hotels, restaurants, marriage halls, community centres or any other place, has created a stir in the chicken industry, greatly dependent on the meal-serving tradition in marriage parties.

The delegation called on Minfal Secretary Mohammad Ismail and Additional Secretary Mumtaz Ahmed. Representatives of the provincial livestock departments also attended the meeting.

The representatives of the provincial governments were of the view that the Marriage Ordinance needed to be reviewed. The provincial governments should be authorized to enact necessary legislations keeping in view the local conditions, they said.

The poultry association also sought government's assistance in providing concessional loans to the small farmers in a bid to revive their businesses after the last year's setback to the industry.

The association complained that unjustifiable taxes imposed by the local governments particularly in Punjab were hindering growth of chicken industry. The association also demanded rationalizing the electricity charges for the poultry industry, bringing it in line with the textile industry.

After detailed deliberations, it was agreed that the provincial governments would rationalize the taxes in a manner that the growth of the poultry industry may not be hampered.