Sultan Salauddin Tuku, state minister for Fisheries and Livestock, called for further development of the country’s poultry sector in line with the agricultural sector.

He also stressed the need to ensure fair prices for chickens and eggs produced by small-scale farmers, increase production, and keep the prices of eggs and chicken meat within the purchasing power of ordinary consumers.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion meeting organised by the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC) at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on Wednesday.

The state minister said production in the poultry sector must be increased while maintaining quality. “We need to move forward by balancing the interests of farmers, so that they receive fair prices for the eggs and chickens they produce, while ordinary people can also buy good-quality eggs and meat at affordable prices,” he said.

He said increasing the production of eggs and chicken meat would boost market supply, making it possible to keep prices at a reasonable level. So market management must be made more effective alongside increasing production. The unnecessary use of antibiotics in the poultry sector must also be stopped, while the quality of eggs, meat and poultry feed must be ensured through regular testing and monitoring.

He said the poultry sector must undergo planned and sustainable development in line with agriculture. The government would support the creation of new entrepreneurs in the sector. The ministry would particularly take necessary initiatives to ensure loans and other required facilities so that small-scale farmers can sustain their production.

He further said direct discussions with farmers at the grassroots level were necessary to understand the actual problems and potential of the poultry sector. Initiatives would be taken to identify and address their problems. To this end, discussion meetings would be organised in phases with small-scale farmers in Gazipur, Dhamrai, Manikganj and Tangail.

The state minister said the sector would become stronger if entrepreneurs, farmers and businesspeople involved in the poultry industry worked in coordination. The government would continue to provide the necessary policy and administrative support for the development of the poultry sector to meet the nutritional needs of the people and ensure a safe and quality supply of protein.