Broiler chicken prices have risen abnormally in the market, but farmers are not getting the benefit. They say chicken selling at Tk 200 a kg in the market is sold at the farm for Tk 130-140 a kg. While farm-gate prices have not risen, their costs have, as they have to buy chicks and poultry feed at higher prices.

This emerged from a visit on Thursday, 18 August, to the chicken market in Tangail and to several poultry farms in Narunda village of Patharail union in Delduar upazila.

Lokman Hossain, a farmer in Narunda, told Jago News that traders buy chicken from farmers at wholesale prices and sell it on at higher prices. So although chicken is dear in the market, farmers are not profiting.

"If there is no disease, it costs about Tk 235 to raise one bird for 35 days. In that time a bird reaches at most two to two and a half kilograms. Normally a 30-day bird weighs 1 kg 700-800 grams. Even selling at the current market rate, our income and costs will be about equal. There will be no profit," he said.

Lokman Hossain said 800 chicks on his farm need 42 sacks of feed over 35 days, costing Tk 1,37,424. On top of that he spends Tk 6,000 on medicine, Tk 6,000 on husk and bran, Tk 3,000 on electricity and Tk 2,400 on chicks.

"A year ago a 50 kg sack of poultry feed cost Tk 1,700. Now the same sack costs Tk 3,370. Even after this abnormal rise, we hear prices will go up again. That will make it impossible for farmers to stay in business," he said.

Shafiqul Islam, a farmer in the same village, said: "I have heard chicken is selling in the market at Tk 210-220. But in my last batch I sold at Tk 130 a kg. Chicken prices in the market have risen because of a syndicate, so farmers are getting little benefit."

He said that where chicken sells at Tk 210-220 a kg in the market, farmers ought to be getting Tk 170-180 wholesale, yet he still hears the wholesale price is Tk 130-140.

Shafiqul Islam said chick and feed prices had risen abnormally, with feed up by Tk 1,000 in the past seven or eight months alone. The power crisis has now become a big problem for farmers: without a proper supply, chicks are dying of heatstroke. Already 20-25 chicks on his farm have died.

Zahurul Islam, who has run a poultry farm for six months, told Jago News: "I have sold chickens in three batches but I am still Tk 20,000 in the red. This time I am raising 1,000 chicks, but with feed prices up I don't think I will make a profit."

Sabuj, a chicken seller at Park Bazar, said poultry chicken was selling at Tk 200 a kg that day. He said he was charging that price because he had bought at a high price, and claimed chicken prices had risen because chick and feed prices had gone up and production was low.

Moniruzzaman, manager of Alvi Traders, the Tangail dealer for Aftab Feed, said poultry feed prices were rising because raw materials were more expensive. He said the price had gone up by Tk 10 a kg.

Poultry feed dealer Md Rasel Akand said company people told him they were bringing in maize and other feed ingredients from other countries because of the Russia-Ukraine war, which had pushed up feed prices.

District livestock officer Dr Md Rana Mia said the rise in poultry feed prices had hit farmers hard, and if the situation continued the industry would be badly damaged.

He said production had already begun to fall, and as a result the prices of poultry chicken and eggs in the market had risen abnormally.

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