Bring down egg production costs

3 January 2011 06:32 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 26 Bookmark

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All Island Poultry Farmers’ Association said the price of eggs and chicken could be reduced in a large percentage if not for the high cost of production. They pointed out that the government should bring down the prices of forage, medicine and other raw material required by poultry farmers.

President of the association Sarath Ratnayake said the minimum cost of production was between Rs.11.50 to 12.00 an egg and Rs.300 a kilo of chicken and, added to it was the cost of labour and the electricity charges. Ratnayake said the Poultry Farmers’ Association made continual representations to the government in this regard but to no avail.

“ Only the consumers in the main cities are benefited by the import of eggs and chicken. This relief is not available to the people in the remote areas. The government must provide incentives to the local farmer to boost production and to supply eggs and chicken for cheaper prices. We are prepared to bring down the prices to the barest minimum and to meet the country’s requirement of eggs if subsidies were available as in case of the paddy farmers. We request the government at least to reduce the prices of forage and medicine. However, import of eggs would worsen the situation and ruin the local poultry farmer” He said.

Meanwhile the Poultry Farmers Association has taken steps to reduce the wholesales price of an egg by Rs.2. They said the price of chicken stood between Rs. 300 to 360 even before the government imported eggs and chicken. (Pushpakumara Jayaratne)