Poultry entrepreneurs had earlier projected that poultry output will grow by 30 percent during the period. [break]“We had estimated overall poultry production to rise by around 30 percent, considering favorable environment for investment and production some ten months back,” Dr Til Chandra Bhattarai, a poultry expert, said.
“Unfortunately, we are now projecting that the output will fall by 10 percent.”
Bhattarai, who is also the president of World Poultry Science Forum-Nepal, had projected that number of broiler chicks produced for commercial farming would rise to 80.91 million, layer chicks to 69.99 million, total chicken (meat) to 132.35 million kg during the fiscal year 2011/12. Similarly, production of eggs and feed was estimated to touch 1.49 billion units and 755,278 tons respectively. Population of commercial broilers and layers at farms was estimated to increase to 76.61 million and 8.3 million heads in 2011/12.
“Due to slowdown in real estate sector, some investors were putting money in poultry sector. Poultry entrepreneurs were also keen to add investment,” Bhattarai said, adding, “But political uncertainty in the country has dampened their spirit.”
Though new poultry farms are coming up in new areas like Nuwakot, Baglung, Surkhet and Dhankuta among other emerging cities, the number is very limited.
Entrepreneurs estimate that total investment in poultry sector has reached over Rs 40 billion.
“The sector has received no investment over the past six months due to factors like emergence of bird flu and political instability,” said Bhattarai, who is also the former president of Nepal Poultry Forum, umbrella organization of poultry entrepreneurs.
According to him, the country´s poultry sector suffered a loss of about Rs 10 million during the strikes and bandas in the last week of May.
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