Pakistan’s Faisal Chicks launches parent stock operation

Faisal Chicks, a fast-growing, independent feed and broiler farm operation in the Multan district of Pakistan, has launched a new parent stock operation.
Around two years ago, Dr. Faisal Shahid, decided to start his own new venture and Faisal Feeds was launched with initial outputs of 30 tons per hour. With a promise of great quality as his guiding principle, Shahid also started his broiler farms – and with ambitions to build a complete integration, the operation has grown quickly to achieve its latest development in the realization of the Faisal Chicks parent stock farm.
The parent stock farm is equipped to produce 200,000 chicks per week from start-up, to supply Faisal Broiler and for sales to other farms in the region. The company commissioned SmartPro single-stage incubation technologies from Pas Reform to launch the operation. Starting with six SmartSetPro setters and six SmartHatchPro hatchers, the new hatchery is also equipped with a full HVAC installation from Pas Reform.

Company eyes further expansion

Since launching the new hatchery, Faisal Chicks has seen many successful hatches and Shahid is very pleased with results, both in the hatchery and in the broiler farm. “Faisal Feeds is best known for quality poultry feeds,” he said. “As such, it was important to complement our reputation for quality with healthy, uniform, high quality chicks."
With plans to double production within the year, Shahid is already planning a second phase of expansion, with more incubators to follow.
Dr. Tan Ee Seng, Pas Reform’s regional sales director is happy to be partnering Faisal Feeds in its ambitious plans - and delighted with the close working relationship between Shahid and his team in the overall management of the incubators and the hatchery.
“I know Dr. Shahid as a highly experienced person with a deep understanding of the sector and his business”, said Tan. “His research was, I know, very careful and thorough, so it is even more satisfying that ultimately he chose SmartPro from Pas Reform.  I believe Faisal Feeds and its associated integration will be a key “agent of change” for the hatchery sector and the poultry business.”

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.

Pakistan poultry producers seek government compensation

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  Freeimages.com/lhumble

  The Pakistan Poultry Association says government policies are irrational and is seeking government compensation.

  From WATTAgNet:
  The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has demanded compensation from the government for losses that have been incurred by farmers due to what it feels are irrational policies of the government.
  PPA’s leadership claims that out of the country’s 30,000 poultry farms, between 30 and 35 percent have already ceased operations due to the ongoing crisis of the industry. They said the smaller poultry farmers are being wiped out and the situation before too long will lead to a full-blown demand and supply crisis if the Pakistani government fails to take any corrective action.
  According to PPA Chairman Ahmad Waseem, over the past six months, the national average cost of production of broilers on a per kilogram basis was more than the national average selling price.
  The poultry industry officials believe that the strict state control of poultry prices is one of the prime reasons of the current crisis.
  Poultry breeding companies have also lost a substantial amount of money in recent weeks because they are not earning even half of their input costs. The average national cost of production of a day-old chick is nearly double of the national selling price per chick over the past two months, said Waseem.

K&N’s Foods progressing with plans to open poultry plant in New York

K&N's Foods, a Pakistan-based poultry company, is progressing with its efforts to convert a former Birds Eye vegetable processing plant into a poultry plant in Fulton, N.Y. K&N's Foods has yet to process any poultry products in the facility it purchased in 2013, but it has already employed 43 people in the Fulton community.
The plant in Fulton is K&N's Foods' first facility in the U.S. When K&N's Foods receives approval from the USDA to begin operations, possibly by the spring of 2014, it will begin making Halal chicken products like nuggets, sausages and cold cuts. Adil Sattar, CEO of K&N's Foods USA, told WRVO Public Media the company plans to sell its food to specialty stores, supermarkets and foodservice companies in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Sattar said there is currently a dearth of options currently available in those locations.
K&N's Foods has invested more than $5 million into the building it purchased from Pinnacle Foods. When the poultry plant is open and running at full-capacity, the company expects to employ 183 workers.
The Fulton facility is one of two plants shuttered by Pinnacle Foods with a possible future in poultry processing. Allen Harim Foods is in talks with Pinnacle, hoping to convert the former Vlassic pickle plant in Millsboro, Del. into a poultry plant.

Pakistan looks to increase poultry output, tap into halal demand

Sikandar Bosan, Pakistan's federal minister for national food security and research, said that steps will be taken to introduce modern diagnostic facilities to improve output of poultry output in Pakistan. While talking to a members of the poultry industry on July 18, he was asked to notice the lack of well-equipped veterinary laboratories in the country, particularly in the most intensive poultry producing areas.
He said Pakistan has great export potential for poultry output and can also tap into the growing worldwide demand of halal food, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The poultry industry provides 1.7 million jobs in Pakistan and contributes 1.7 to the gross domestic product.  

Producers should examine core poultry business to expand

Poultry producers need to be focused on innovation for growth, but they also need to examine their core business and how it relates to those opportunities as they develop those strategies. That advice was given by Professor Damien McLoughlin, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Ireland, to a group of poultry producers from around the world at the annual Alltech breakfast during the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta.
McLoughlin used the example of a poultry producer in Pakistan that is innovating ahead of the curve. "I visited a company in 2011 that had best slaughter facility in any industry in anywhere in the world." he said. "It was the cleanest, most automated, most effective plant I've ever seen to produce processed chicken." What is notable is that in Pakistan, processed chicken is only 2 percent of the market, while the rest is wet. No one knows for sure when the Pakistan market will move from wet to processed chicken, but McLoughlin is confident that will happen. "Those guys are ready when it happens. They are ready to take advantage of that opportunity before it has even happened. That is strategic waiting. If you are innovating for an existing opportunity, you are too late."
A member of the audience asked how companies producing eggs can innovate, since the questioner saw eggs as a commodity product. McLoughlin said eggs don't need to be differentiated but defended. "The biggest problem with eggs is people believe they are unhealthy," he said. While that is a problem for the industry overall, companies can use that to their advantage by telling the story that their brand offers health benefits. Egg brands that are promoting their increased health benefits are commanding premium prices in many markets.
McLoughlin challenged the audience to change their thinking about their core businesses. "You aren't in the poultry business; you are in the food business. Poultry production is your core, but food is your business, if you define your business that way as you move ahead."
McLoughlin told the audience there are four key things they have to pay attention to expand their businesses:

1. You have to have a strong, well-disciplined core business with leadership in that core market.
2. You need to pursue the right growth opportunities and avoid the wrong ones.
3. You must be the best at following your customer.
4. You have to develop repeatable business models.
He gave examples of how world-leading consumer companies have effectively followed those four rules and succeeded. He encouraged the audience to apply them to their own growth plans.

Pakistan poultry prices up in twin cities

Chicken and egg prices in the Pakistan capital of Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi have gone up significantly due to the extremely cold weather, which has increased demand, according to reports. Increased production costs connected to the weather, such as feed, petroleum and electricity prices, are also to blame, according to the country's poultry association.
Chicken is being sold at Rs 165 (US$1.69) per kilogram and eggs at Rs 130 (US$1.33) per dozen in the twin cities markets. Leading into December, the chicken price was around Rs 115 (US$1.18) per kilogram and eggs were going for roughly Rs 115 per dozen.

Pakistan poultry prices up 40 percent on insufficient stock

Pakistan poultry products have increased in price by 30–40 percent in less than a week due to insufficient domestic supplies, according to a recent survey.
Chicken meat has increased to Rs 166 (US$1.70) per kilogram from Rs 110 (US$1.13) per kilogram since December 13 in the wholesale and retail market. Live chicken is currently being sold at Rs 250–260 US$2.57–US$2.67) against the previous week's rate of Rs 200 (US$2.05). Egg prices have increased from Rs 110 to Rs 130 (US$1.33) per dozen in the open market.
Minimum poultry rates had previously been fixed due to a stock surplus six months ago. "We have been forced to quit business as a number of poultry farms closed down due to facing immense financial losses," said Haji Jhangariz, a wholesaler and owner of a local poultry farm. He said that dealers have had to sell chicken at the prices fixed by the district administration for the last three to four months, and that because of those restrictions 50 percent of poultry farms have been closed down due to growing financial losses to the owners. "The closure of a large number of farms causes huge shortages of poultry products in wholesale and open markets," said Jhangariz.
High poultry feed prices and overall production costs have also made it difficult to lower prices and compete with other markets, according to farmers.

Pakistan chicken prices drop 23.8 percent

Pakistan's retail chicken prices have dropped 23.8 percent, to Rs 160 (US$1.67) per kilogram from Rs 210 (US$2.20) per kilogram, due to low demand brought on by upcoming holiday Eidul Azha, according to reports.
The decline in prices has affected both live broilers and chicken meat, said Maroof Siddiqui, Pakistan Poultry Association chief convener. "The declining purchasing power of an overwhelming number of poultry customers helped to bring the prices down," he said. The live broiler and chicken meat price decline is expected to continue leading up to the holiday, to Rs 140 (US$1.46)–Rs 145 (US$1.52) per kilogram.

Pakistan sets 13.8-billion-ton egg production goal for 2012–2013

Pakistan has set a 13.8-billion-ton egg production target for the current 2012–2013 financial year, according to a Planning Commission official. The country's production has already beat its target by 6.5 percent in the 2011–2012 fiscal year.
Pakistan achieved about 834,000 tons of poultry production against the target of 758,000 tons in financial year 2011–2012, and it is expected that the sector will also reach the 2012–2013 target of 937,000 tons. Poultry production has increased along with consumption, which has gone up due to the meat's affordability in comparison to beef and mutton. According to Statistic Division, the poultry contribution in agriculture and livestock is 6.4 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively, and poultry meat contributes 25.8 percent of Pakistan's total meat production.

Pakistan poultry sector needs biosecurity investment to expand

Pakistan's poultry sector, which has become the second-largest industry (after textile) in the country, could expand further with the proper investment, according to Vice Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Professor Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha.
The industry has a local investment of Rs 300 billion (US$3.16 billion) and has been growing at a rate of 8 percent to 10 percent, well above the 3.5 percent of agriculture or 4 percent of livestock. If biosecurity measure were invested in, said Pasha, the industry could expand further still. According to typical biosecurity standards, farm-to-farm distance should be at least one kilometer and vans engaged for picking up flocks should be under a prescribed protocol. There are currently no such regulations in existence in Pakistan, according to Pasha, who has called for the setting up of combine laboratories to ensure the quality of food and feed of livestock. He said the government should make a combine system to gauge the quality of food and animal feed as well as meat.

Pakistan poultry production to rise in 2012–2013

Pakistan's poultry production is set to reach 937,000 tons in the 2012–2013 financial year, according to the country's Ministry of National Food Security and Research, up from 2011–2012's 834,000 tons.
The 2011–2012 number was up 10 percent from an expected 758,000 tons of poultry meat. Pakistan's egg production is expected to reach 13.81 million tons, showing 6.5 percent growth over the 2011–2012 financial year. Overall, the government has set target of producing roughly 3.3 million tons of meat during the 2012–2013 year to fulfill domestic and export demand. Meat production in the country was increased by 5.76 percent during last financial year, according to the ministry.

Pakistan poultry sector faces losses due to Newcastle disease

Pakistan's poultry sector is facing a Rs 10 billion (US$106.5 million) loss for the February–May period due to the spread of Newcastle disease in the country, according to reports.
Roughly 44 million broiler chickens have died of the disease in that time period, said Dr. Waseem Rafiq, president of the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Association. There is a dire need, said Rafiq, to protect the chickens by increasing their immunity, and not just improving abilities at the diagnosis level. He is calling for proper training for farmers in the country, along with the introduction of modern technology to the poultry industry.

Pakistan Newcastle outbreaks blamed on poor poultry vaccines

The acute outbreaks of Newcastle disease on commercial poultry farms in Pakistan and Afghanistan over the last five months have been blamed on poor vaccines.
According to the Veterinary Research Institutes in Peshawar, Pakistan, while there may have been a change in the genetics of the field virus, the more likely explanation to birds’ poor response to vaccination is the quality of vaccines themselves, their storage and administration.
The Veterinary Research Institutes said that not only is the quality of vaccine supplied by registered manufacturers poor, there are also a number of non-authorized manufacturers supplying vaccines. Storage facilities at manufacturing and retail level are poor, as is vaccine administration. Additionally, there are reports that antivirals registered only for human use are being applied on poultry farms and this could have implications for viral resistance.

Pakistan egg, chicken prices rise due to cold weather

Extremely cold weather in Pakistan has increased the demand for eggs and chicken, resulting in a sharp price increase for both products already on the rise due to costly feed, petroleum and electricity prices, according to reports. Chicken is currently being sold at Rs 165 (US$1.83) per kilogram while eggs are being sold at Rs 110 (US$1.22) per dozen. According to market sources, in the last two weeks of December 2011, chicken prices were at Rs 115 (US$1.27) per kilogram and eggs were at Rs 90 (US$1.00) per dozen.

Pakistan poultry industry seeks disease assistance

The Pakistan Poultry Association has asked the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences to conduct research on poultry diseases, such as Newcastle disease, avian influenza and infectious bursal disease, in an attempt to educate the country's farmers. According to the PPA, Pakistan's poultry farmers lack poultry management skills and proper henhouse infrastructures. Dr. Munir Ahmad Sahi, a member of the PPA, asked the UVAS to conduct refresher poultry courses and training workshops to promote good management practices and technical support to the industry.