Pakistan’s poultry sector hopes to get boost

Pakistan’s poultry sector has faced many marketing issues during the past year, with consistent low prices putting farmers in a very difficult situation, according to Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Kamal, Chairman of the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA). However, the PPA is making concerted efforts to help the industry, for example, by declaring the current year to be Consumer Education year.
It is also organizing the 17^th edition of the International Poultry Expo (IPEX 2015), which runs from through September 12 at the Expo Center in Lahore. Its aim, said Kamal, is to provide a boost to the poultry industry in Pakistan by providing a platform for interactive exchanges between all segments of the industry including veterinarians, farmers, technical experts, equipment and pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as international poultry experts.
Chief Organizer of IPEX 2015 is Abdul Haye Mehta, who sees the eradication of diseases as the top priority for Pakistan’s poultry industry. This will require all sectors to work together but the result will be increased production at minimum cost, he said, bringing benefits of growing volumes and more efficient production that can be passed on to consumers.
At a press conference in Lahore to publicize IPEX 2015 earlier this week, Kamal told The Express Tribune that the country’s poultry sector investments are expected to gain momentum as China is looking to enter the local market by injecting an estimated PKR50 billion (US$480 million) worth of investment in the coming years and he expects other major investors to attend the show.
For Pakistan, he added,chicken meat is the best option under current circumstances as it is not only rich in nutrition but also qualifies as Halal. Poultry accounts for 40 percent of the country’s meat market.
Mehta told the newspaper that the international standard of daily protein per person is 27 grams, whereas only 17 grams is taken up in Pakistan. To meet this shortage, poultry meat is the best and most economical solution. He foresees poultry production in his country doubling in the next 10 years.
With poultry also a means to relieve rural poverty, the Livestock Department in the province of Balochistan is to offer rural women the means to supplement their family income through chicken farming, according to another recent report in The Express Tribune.
The pilot program for 9,600 families will include 9 point-of-lay pullets and a rooster at 75 percent subsidized rates. The birds will be breeds like the Dokki and Fayoumi, which can thrive on with minimal care.