LAHORE: The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has demanded the federal government to allow the poultry industry resume the export of chicken and eggs to Afghanistan.
In a press briefing on Monday, PPA (North) Vice Chairman Chaudhry Muhammad Fargham appreciated the Centre’s decision to allow the export of selected items to Afghanistan for three days a week, and requested the government to “include chicken meat and eggs in the list of allowed items to Afghanistan”.
The vice-chairman maintained that Pakistan’s poultry industry supplies “prime quality protein food in the form of poultry meat and eggs at a very affordable price”.
Pakistan’s poultry industry has an annual turnover of over Rs800 billion and it gives employment to over 1.5 million people directly and indirectly, he added.
Fargham said the poultry industry cannot pay electricity bills due to liquidity crunch (cash flow issues) caused by virus lockdown, and that the people in poultry business are now at the mercy of WAPDA officials since the disconnection sword is hanging on their heads.
“We request the government to exempt the poultry sector, which includes feed mills, hatcheries, processing plants, broiler farms and layer farms, from disconnections. It should also be allowed partial payments [of electricity bills] for the next six months.”
Fargham lamented that the poultry sector had so far witnessed more than 30pc reduction in demand due to the closure of marriage halls, restaurants etc.
Talking to this scribe, PPA-North Secretary Major (r) Javaid Hussain Bukhari noted that Afghanistan is highlighted dependent on Pakistan when it comes to the supply of chicken and eggs.
“Export of these essential food items would not only help our brotherly nation avert food crisis caused by coronavirus outbreak, but would also help Pakistan earn precious foreign exchange.”
Meanwhile, market players fear that if the ban is not lifted immediately, India and other countries would capture the Afghan market and this could make Pakistan’s re-entry very difficult.
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