Prices of every kind of feed for cattle, poultry and fish have risen in the markets of Dinajpur. Over the past week feed has gone up by Tk 2-3 a kilogram, or as much as Tk 150 on a 50-kg sack. A 50-kg sack of bran has climbed from Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,800, maize from Tk 25 to Tk 37 a kilogram, and a sack of poultry feed now costs up to Tk 3,675, with broiler and Sonali feed varying by Tk 100-150 a sack by grade.

Bangladesh has 294 licensed feed producers. Field staff of several of them said cattle feed has risen by Tk 1.50-2 a kilogram depending on type, poultry feed by Tk 2-3, and bran from Tk 26 to Tk 36 a kilogram. Maize, which goes into every feed, has risen the most, from Tk 25 to Tk 37 a kilogram in a month. Among cattle fodder, a bundle of 20 straw sheaves has gone from Tk 140 to Tk 165; wheat bran sells at Tk 50-55, pea husk at Tk 60-65, lentil husk at Tk 40 after a Tk 5 rise, soybean cake at Tk 60, maize meal at Tk 34, maize bran at Tk 40, gram husk at Tk 65, broken rice at Tk 35, rice bran at Tk 18 and mustard cake at Tk 52 a kilogram.

Feed is a poultry farmer's largest cost; by some farmers' reckoning it takes up to 80 percent of production expenses. Dinajpur has 34,540 cattle, goat, sheep and buffalo farms, 3,072 layer, broiler, duck, pigeon and quail farms, 4,225 private fish farms, two government hatcheries and 42,124 fish farmers. Coming just as broiler and egg prices had eased, the rise is a new worry; local traders said egg prices have already gone up.

Mominul Islam, a poultry farmer at Panchbari in Sadar upazila, said his broilers used to take 70 sacks of feed a month; after two rounds of price rises he can afford only 60, the birds are not reaching the expected weight and he is not getting a good price. If this goes on, he said, he will have to close the farm within a few days. Arjun Prasad, owner of the feed dealer Basudeb Traders, said all feed prices have risen with maize, and gas and power shortages have disrupted feed production, so dealers are buying dear and must sell dear. Small and marginal farmers fear that if costs keep rising many will be forced to shut down.

Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Dinajpur correspondent. Source: Krishi Shomoy