Chitwan, March 18: Two hundred and thirty-six hatcheries have perished in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Nepal Poultry Federation.
The industries have been closed after the hatched chicks did not fetch even the production price after the pandemic.
According to Tikaram Pokharel, vice-president of the Federation, there were 348 hatchery industries operating across the country before Covid-19 pandemic. Now the number has come down to 120 .Similarly, layer hatcheries have dropped from 14 to six.
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Pokharel said 5.5 million broiler chicks used to be produced in a week by the hatcheries before and it has decreased to 3 million. Likewise, the production of layer chicks has decreased from 250 thousand per week to 130 thousand.
According to Pokharel, the production cost of broiler chicks ranges from Rs 55 to Rs 60 per chick while that of layer chick ranges from Rs 120 to 125.
Rajendra Lamichhane, central senior vice-president of Nepal Hatchery Industry Association, said the hatcheries have been closed as they did not even collect the production cost for the chicks during the two years after Covid-19.
After a long time, the price of broiler chicks has now reached Rs 70 to Rs 75 per chick while the price of layer chicks is in the range of Rs 130 to Rs 150.
"Most of the hatcheries were shut down as the chicks did not fetch even the production cost for a long time and even those industries, which are running, have also done so with additional loans from banks," he said.
Hatchery industries and poultry farmers have been displaced from their business due to the hatched chicks not fetching the production cost, increase in prices of poultry feed and medicines, higher bank interest rates, low price of meat, displacement of poultry farmers and illegal entry of chicks from the Indian market.
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