According to poultry entrepreneurs, broiler chicken and chicks are in short supply in Chitwan after export of poultry from the Kathmandu Valley came to a grinding halt following multiple outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry farms there. [break]
Tikaram Pokharel, a leading poultry entrepreneur, said export of poultry products to other districts from Chitwan have been affected. “We are compelled to export local production to other districts even though Chitwan is facing supply deficit,” Pokharel said, adding that they were in a position to meet only 75 percent of the demand for chicks placed by the farmers.
Around 75,000 heads of layers chicks and 700,000 heads of broiler chicks are produced each week in Chitwan.
A considerable amount of poultry products were entering Chitwan from the capital,
“Chitwan was importing around 100,000 heads of broiler chicks per week from the capital. The supply, however, has come to a standstill now,” Janak Man Shrestha, central member of Chicken Market Management Association, said.
Chitwan produces around 25 tons of chicken per day. It consumes around 18 tons a day.
“Chitwan itself was affected by bird-flu in the past, leading to drop in the production of commercial broiler in the district,” said Shrestha.
Poultry entrepreneurs say supply situation will worsen further in the coming days as poultry population in most of the farms is low due to shortage of chicks over the past few months.
Meanwhile, Nepal Egg Producers Association has started adopting bio-security in handling and distribution of eggs to minimize the risk of bird-flu epidemic. As per the new provision, poultry entrepreneurs cannot reuse egg crates.
According to the association, around 7,000 cartons (each carton contains 210 eggs) of eggs are produced across the country.
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