Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur Razzaque has said the message that chicken meat is safe and healthy must reach everyone, and people's interest in farmed chicken must be raised. The Ministry of Agriculture will give the necessary support to that end, he said.

He said this when a delegation of the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC) met him at his office in the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon (7 February).

The delegation included BPICC president Moshiur Rahman, vice-president Shamsul Arefin Khaled, World's Poultry Science Association Bangladesh branch president Abu Lutfe Fazle Rahim Khan and Feed Industries Association Bangladesh general secretary Md Ahsanuzzaman.

The meeting discussed the problems and prospects of the country's poultry industry. BPICC leaders described the problems the industry faced because of the coronavirus and asked the minister to raise maize production further. They said almost all poultry feed comes from maize, so higher maize output would cut feed costs considerably.

They also sought the minister's help in getting the message across to consumers more strongly that farmed chicken is safe and healthy.

The minister said work was under way to raise maize production. The country's climate is very suitable for maize, and good yields are now coming even from saline land in the south, so maize production will double within a few years, he said.

He assured the delegation that the Ministry of Agriculture would provide the support needed to develop and expand the country's poultry industry.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.