Al Amin :
The imposition ban on soybean meal exports to India has not yet created any impact on poultry prices due to what the traders said shortage of supply of the product.
There is also no sign to decline the poultry price soon as the feed price is still high in both local and international markets, the sector insiders said.
Broiler chicken was selling at Tk 185-190, Pakistani Cock at Tk 330-350 and red layer chicken at Tk 220-230 per Kg in the city markets on Saturday.
Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC) President Moshiur Rahman told The New Nation on Saturday, “The soybean meal export ban is not creating any impact on chicken markets as the feed prices are still high.”
“The prices of other ingredients of poultry feed have been increased on an average 31 per cent in the country,” he said.
Besides, the increased shipping cost is also another reason behind the high price of poultry feed as around 90 per cent raw materials of it depends on import, he added. The market price of a 50 kg sack of Narish company layer feed is Tk 2220, broiler feed is Tk 2610 and Sonali feed is Tk 2400. The feed millers said that they have increased only 10 per cent, whereas the feed prices have increased around 40 per cent in the international markets.
The prices of poultry feed would increase further, if the government would not impose ban on soybean meal exports, they said.
Production in the country’s hatcheries has been declined sharply due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, the millers are counting loses. they said.
“The less production has created a gap between demand and supply. As a result, the prices of poultry have gone up in the markets,” said Md Azmol Hossain, Director of RRP Agro Farms Ltd.
He further said the farmers spend Tk 120-130 in producing per Kg broiler and they are now selling at Tk 140-150 per kg and the consumers are paying extra money to purchase broiler as the middlemen are taking advantage from the price-hike.
The government recently banned the exports of soybean meal in order to rein in the spiralling prices of the key ingredients of poultry industry and cattle feed and protect consumers from paying more for animal protein.
The move comes in the face of demands from feed millers, poultry industry operators, and dairy farmers as prices of the soybean cake shot up 41 per cent year-on-year to Tk 53-55 per kilogram in August after India allowed imports to meet its domestic shortage of soybean meal.
Soybean meal accounts for 25-35 per cent of animal feed.
The country requires 20 lakh tonnes of soybean meal and 80 per cent of the ingredient comes from local seed crushing mills.
