Government taking action against 117 feed mills

The Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has identified 117 establishments allegedly producing substandard feed and served them closure notices, its Director General (Acting) Md Shahjaman Khan said on Saturday.

The feed sector plays a crucial role in meeting the country's growing demand for protein and producing sustainable and affordable fish and animal feed. However, some companies are not producing quality products in pursuit of higher profits.

He disclosed this information at a seminar titled "Feed for Growth: Supporting Bangladesh's Protein Demand," jointly organized by the Feed Industries Association Bangladesh (FIAB) and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) at a hotel in the capital on saturday.

He stated that the sector survives because of marginal farmers. One of the farmers’ main demands now is to keep feed prices affordable. He sought the cooperation of feed-producing companies in this regard.

He also said the Department of Livestock Services is working to ensure feed quality and produce safe protine free from harmful antibiotics.

Speaking as the chief guest, Md. Delwar Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, said there was a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office Saturday.

There, the Prime Minister gave several important directions for the development of the poultry sector, stating the sector must be made export-oriented.

He further said the Prime Minister had directed that necessary vaccines for the development of the sector be produced domestically and stressed taking the required projects for this purpose.

He added, "The role of animal protein in building a healthy and merit-based nation is immense. However, the foundation of safe and quality protein production is quality feed. To control feed production costs and ensure the supply of protein within the purchasing power of common people, we must move away from traditional methods and focus on 'Precision Nutrition' and modern technology."

Earlier, FIAB General Secretary Md. Anwarul Haq delivered the welcome address at the opening session of the seminar.

He said, "In the face of changing global market scenarios and fluctuating raw material prices, our industry needs to become more technology-driven and efficient. This event aims to discuss precision formulation and the proper use of advanced raw materials." 

Habibur Rahman, Bangladesh Market Lead of USSEC; Lucas Manomaitis, East Asia Aquaculture Lead; Zhu Enhua (Joe); and Xiang Pin Lan Shan spoke on various aspects of soybean and technology at the event.

Ehtesham B. Shahjahan, Managing Director of Quality Feeds Limited, presided over the seminar. 

During the day-long event, technical papers on modern poultry and fish feed formulation, cost-effective production systems, and sustainable nutrition management were presented by Md. Shafiqur Rahman Shishir, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Animal Nutrition at Bangladesh Agricultural University; Aung Thwein A, Aquatic Animal Nutrition Consultant at Agro Solution; and Md. Jahidul Islam, CEO of Bangla-UK Agro Products Limited.

The seminar concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Associate Vice President of ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited. 

The Speakers expressed hope that the technical guidance and policy recommendations from this seminar would take Bangladesh's feed sector a step forward and play a major role in ensuring national food and nutrition security.

Leading entrepreneurs, domestic and foreign nutritionists, researchers, and policymakers from the country's poultry, livestock, and aquaculture sectors attended the seminar.

TIS/ sks