The country's poultry industry is about to collapse as a result of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, poultry farmers have urged the government to have restaurants and hotels open immediately to allow chicken consumption to rise.
In a news conference on Monday, Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) vice president Chaudhry Muhammad Fargham said that the country's poultry farmers have been in trouble for quite some time because consumption has declined and the government banned several COVID-19 bans has imposed and pandemics have hit industry hard in very very bad manners.
He urged the government to formulate such a plan that could curb the pandemic of COVID-19 and facilitate people's employment.
He explained that bank loans should be postponed; Medium sized poultry farms should receive new loans of Rs 400 million at a premium of 2-3 percent.
Fargham also called on the government to allow the export of culled birds, day-old chicks, chicken and eggs to Afghanistan so that poultry farmers can get more income from their farm.
Fargham called on the government to postpone the electricity bill for the poultry sector by three months, adding that the bills would be paid without penalty within a year (installments).
The PPA official claimed that the poultry sector was one of the most organized agricultural sectors in Pakistan. The industry provides 40 percent of all meat consumed in the country.
He also called for a complete exemption from import duties on soybean meal, vaccines, medicines and poultry machinery from other countries.
