Thousands of poultry farms closed

The sharp price hike of poultry feed, bird flu panic and the lack of insurance coverage has caused as many as 17,990 poultry farms to close their farm gates and shut down between July 2007 and January 31 2008.

Officials have said that this amounts to approx. one-third of the total farms. The poultry industry was once flourishing, contributing 4% to the country’s GDP.

A survey conducted by Poultry Industries Coordination Committee found that around 50% of the closed farms were forced to suspend operations due to the surge in poultry feed prices, while 35% were closed on account of bird flu panic.