Experts involved in the study attributed the whopping growth to double-digit rise in tourist arrivals, lesser incidents of traffic disruption, hassle-free imports of parent chicks as well as impressive rise in consumption.[break]
“Given the comparatively favorable situation, we have projected a turnover of Rs 41 billion, which accounts for over 3.4 percent of the nation´s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)," Dr Til Chandra Bhattarai, a member of the study team, told Republica on Sunday.
Bhattarai, who is also the former president of Nepal Poultry Entrepreneurs´ Forum (NPEF) -- an umbrella organization of poultry producers, said number of commercial broilers at farms across the country is expected to go up by 23 percent to 57.8 million heads by the end of the current fiscal year (ending Mid-July). Similarly, the number of commercial layers has also been projected to go up by 24 percent to 5.8 million heads.
“Production of broiler chicks has also been projected to surge by 60.8 million heads by the end of the current fiscal year," said Bhattarai, who is also the managing director of Chitwan-based Pancha Ratna Group -- one of the largest poultry producers in the country. Layers chick production too is expected to reach 6.19 heads million.
Broiler chicken production is estimated to rise by a whopping 29 percent to 107.8 million kg over the period.
“However, production of eggs is expected to go down to 1.11 billion pieces due to shortage of layers chicks,” Bhattarai, who is also the president of World Poultry Science Association, Nepal.
Population of parent chicks of broiler to estimated to go up by 37 percent to 804,000 heads. However, layers parent chick population is seen dropping by 5.7 percent to 86,000 heads due to drop in imports.
Production of feed is expected to rise by 11 percent to 646,000 tons by the end of the current fiscal year.
“There has been huge fresh investment in big poultry farms in Hetauda, Bhairahawa and Itahari. This is one of the factors behind whopping growth in poultry turnover," Bhattarai said, adding that total investment in the sector has crossed Rs 24 billion.
“As we have sufficient infrastructures, this sector can expand easily provided that there is favorable business environment," Bhattarai added.
Guna Chandra Bista, a pioneer in Nepal´s poultry sector, said feed industry is seeing encouraging investment due to impressive growth of poultry sector that is providing employment to more than 70,000 people across the country.
Poultry entrepreneurs, however, are skeptical about sustained growth of the sector given the persisting adverse industrial climate in the country.
"Despite impressive growth in recent months and good prospects for the future, we´re not in a comfortable situation. Protracted power cuts and deteriorating industrial climate are posing challenge to this sector," Bista added.
(With inputs from Ramesh Kumar Poudel from Chitwan)
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