800 poultry-egg farmers suffer loss in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, June 23: More than 800 egg-producing poultry farm owners have been facing a huge loss due to low price of egg for the last three months in the city and upazila markets of the district.
Each of the farm growers could earn Tk 10,000 to 15,000 per day selling eggs, but now they are facing lakh taka loss every month. Besides, they could not repay the loan which they took from different banks and NGOs, said growers.
While talking to The Daily Observer, Belal Hossain, poultry farm owner of Nawdapara Bypass area of the city, said, "I have been producing poultry and its egg for the last 10 years. I have four farms where I get around 5,000 eggs daily. I faced loss at different times earlier. But this time, I have been facing loss for the last three months."
He further said, "Per piece egg is being sold Tk 3.5 whereas the farm owners have to spend Tk 5.5 per piece egg. For this reason, they have to suffer loss worth Tk 2 per piece egg. I am facing loss worth Tk 7,000 to 8,000 daily and Tk 2.25 lakh monthly. A total of 12 labourers are working at my four farms now."
Tofazzal Hossain, poultry farm owner of Balanagar village under Paba upazila said, "I have been producing poultry and its egg for the last two years. I have around 4,000 egg-giving poultry at my farm which give around 3,500 eggs every day. I suffered loss worth about Tk 10 lakh in the last three months due to low price of egg in the markets. At present, total 15 labourers are working at my farm."
Anarul Islam, poultry farm owner of Amgachhi village under Durgapur upazila said, "I have started producing poultry and its egg for the last seven months. I have around 3,000 egg-giving poultry at my farm which are giving around 2,500 eggs daily. I am suffering loss worth Tk 4,000 every day for low price of egg."
In this connection, District Livestock Officer Nizam Uddin said, "We did not expect that the price of egg would reduce in this way. For this reason, the egg-producing farm owners have been facing huge loss for the last three months. I hope that the condition will improve within a short time."
There are total 820 egg-producing poultry farms and 1,155 meat-producing poultry farms in the city and different upazilas of the district, he added.