‘Over 5600 poultry farms closed nationwide’

KABUL (Pajhwok): More than 5,600 poultry farms have been closed all over the country due to financial crises, surge in the price of chicken meat, chicken feed and the product’s growing import, an official said on Monday.

In addition to these crises, a large number of chickens lost due to harsh cold weather in the farms.

Maruf Zafar, head of the Afghanistan Poultry Production and Processing Union (PPPU), told Pajhwok Afghan News almost six months back 10,827 poultry farms were operating in Afghanistan out of which, according to him, 5000 chicken farms and 200 egg-laying hen farms were active and 5,627 poultry farms were closed.

The closed farms also included a number of farms established domestically by the public for raising chickens, he explained.

He added: “The industry is on the verge of destruction as a result of economic problems, increase in chicken imports and surge in the chicken grain price and the remaining ones will also get shut if their problems are not addressed.”

If the acting government, he claimed, stops import of eggs and live chickens to the country, many people would invest in this sector.

Almost two years ago, annual eggs production in Afghanistan had reached nearly one billion eggs which had recently fallen to half, he claimed.

He urged the government to support farm owners and prevent import of live chickens and meat to the country.

Ansarullah Khan, a poultry farm, told Pajhwok lately chicken grain became expensive therefore his business faced hardships.

He said: “We ourselves produced chicken-feed but it does not benefit now, because cost of the materials which we made the grain from has risen and its loss is more than benefit.”

He also said that chicken and eggs production farms were closed and they were mostly imported from abroad.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Abdul Salam Akhundzada told Pajhwok that currently domestic eggs and chickens were consumed in government departments which are an essential step for the improvement of the industry.

“We will never allow our private sector to get affected,” he assured.

A few weeks ago, according to him, the cabinet decided that the government departments must use local productions in order to support them.

This decision of the government is promising for the future of the private sector, he hoped.

A few days ago, poultry farms owners in Balkh told Pajhwok Afghan News that more than 300 farms in province were closed due to increase in the price of poultry feed and medicine.

Ja/nh

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