The poultry sector plays a big role in meeting the nation's nutritional needs, and the government and others concerned should turn their attention to it now so that there is no shortage of nutrition in future. The incentive the government has offered the sector should be distributed to genuine farmers without delay. NGOs working at village level could also keep the sector alive by lending to marginal farmers. And the chain for marketing farmers' produce, which has broken down, must be repaired: if the relationship between farmer, trader, wholesaler and retailer is maintained, farmers will face no problems and can do business as before. That is the view of expert economists and farmers.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a month ago a chick that used to cost Tk 35 was priced at Tk 1, and still no one would stock it. Even when chicks were offered free, no farmer took new birds, and farmers had to kill hundreds of thousands of chicks every day. When the whole country came to a standstill at the start of the outbreak, chickens, chicks and eggs could not be sold at all. Thousands of farmers were ruined by losses. Marginal farmers are no longer stocking birds, thousands of farms lie empty, and many who lost their capital are sitting at home unemployed. If this continues for long there will be a shortage of nutrition in the country. Jago News spoke to two expert economists and several farmers about what must be done; they say that if their suggestions are implemented, normality will return to the sector.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor and economist Dr Atiur Rahman told Jago News that the situation arose because the supply chain broke down, and it must be rebuilt. Farmers must be assured that they can sell what they produce. For that, the broken relationship between farmer, trader, wholesaler and retailer has to be restored, and it is very urgent to make sure traders and wholesalers can take their goods to their destinations without trouble or harassment on the road.

He said many farmers had lost their capital because of the coronavirus, and the incentive the government had announced for them should reach them now. Once they have the money in hand, they can restart production immediately. If this is done, farmers' poultry sheds will fill up again and there will be no need to worry about nutrition.

Answering a question, he said the lockdown that followed the coronavirus had brought the whole country to a standstill, and farmers suffered because they could not sell their produce. It would take a little more time, he said, but farmers would be able to get back on their feet.

Jago News also spoke to Dr M A Sattar Mandal, emeritus professor, former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, former member (secretary) of the Planning Commission and a member of the expert pool for annual performance management at the Ministry of Agriculture.

He said one cannot sit idle in fear of the coronavirus; work must start now, and production on farms and fields must continue while maintaining social distance. The incentive the government wants to give farmers should be given now, so that no farmer halts production for lack of money. In the present situation, he said, the government itself must take the initiative in marketing farmers' produce.

He said the government must act to repair the market chain broken by the coronavirus. Not only producers but also the wholesalers who buy from farms and sell on should be brought under the incentive. Many wholesalers are short of money because of the coronavirus; if they are helped, they will keep the chain intact.

Selina Parvin, owner of Tushar Poultry farm in the Kudabo area of Gazipur district, told Jago News that she lost about Tk 10 lakh this time across her two sections, layer and broiler. Her farm now lies empty, with no birds in either the broiler or the layer sheds.

Asked whether she would start again, she said: "I heard the government will give loans to those hit by the coronavirus. The sooner the government gives this loan, the sooner we farmers can start raising chickens again. We are also members of many local NGOs. If they increase their loan amounts, farmers hit by the coronavirus can get back on their feet."

Mahbub Alam Lablu, director of Afil Agro Limited, the largest chick producer in Jashore, told Jago News that many marginal farmers had suffered financially because of the coronavirus, and many lost their capital selling broilers and eggs cheaply. "At one point we offered chicks to farmers at Tk 1 each and they still did not take them, because they feared they would not recover the cost of feed and other expenses, so they kept their farms empty."

He said that to keep farmers going, the incentive the government announced for the sector should be put into farmers' hands in cash quickly so they can restart. Wholesalers should also be able to move their goods easily from place to place; if the government makes sure they are not harassed on the road, produce will reach consumers and there will be no more difficulty.

Asked about the government incentive, he said: "The minister has said so, I have heard that, but so far I have not seen any activity on it."

Farhad Hossain, a poultry farmer in Tangail, told Jago News that without the government incentive many will not be able to restart, because many marginal farmers have lost their capital. Big businesses may survive even after losing crores of taka, he said, but marginal farmers who raise two to five thousand birds will not.

Answering a question, he said farmers would benefit if, with government support, chickens or eggs were bought and supplied to various government institutions. Traders would also be encouraged if they were not harassed by police when moving these goods.

Asked about the incentive, he said no news about it had yet reached farmers, and no one from the livestock office had contacted them.

AKM Ariful Islam, deputy director (breeding) of the fisheries and livestock directorate, told Jago News in reply to a question that a list of poultry farmers hit by the coronavirus was being prepared. "We have been asked to make a list and we are making it. We have not yet received clear instructions on who will get the incentive and how. Once the list is ready it will be sent to the ministry."

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