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Kaski self-sufficient in chicken products
Kaski district has become self-sufficient in chicken products as output has risen sharply.Lal Prasad Sharma
Kaski district has become self-sufficient in chicken products as output has risen sharply. The district buys chicken products from neighbouring districts, but it also ships an equivalent amount of the popular meat and maintains an even trade balance.
Around 1,000 farmers in the district are engaged in chicken farming. There are twice as many seasonal farmers and others involved in small-scale chicken farming, said Mukti Ram Adhikari, president of the District Chicken Farmers Association. “The district’s requirement of chicken meat is fulfilled by local production,” he added.
According to Adhikari, around 500,000 broiler chickens and 180,000 layer chickens are reared on a regular basis in the district. Around 130,000 chicks are produced and 70,000 chicks are sold weekly. Close to 50,000 chicks are imported.
There are 20 farms raising 10,000-60,000 chickens, the District Livestock Services Office said. Last year, 1.2 million broiler and 117,000 layer chickens were sold in Kaski district. Likewise, 176,355 chicks were imported from Chitwan and Kathmandu, while around 150,000 chicks were exported.
Chicken products are shipped to several districts in Dhaulagiri zone from Kaski.
“Kaski has already become self-sufficient in chicken meat. There is a need to manage the business to maintain that status,” Adhikari said, adding that billions of rupees had been invested in the sector.
It is estimated that the poultry business provides jobs to around 20,000 people. However, there is no official employment data.
Last year, the district shipped 200,000 broiler chickens and bought 120,000 broiler chickens. Likewise, 6.3 million eggs were imported against exports of 900,000 eggs. Kaski’s requirement of eggs amounts to 150,000 and local output totals 100,000 eggs.
According to Bhola Nath Ojha, president of the Kaski Goat and Chicken Meat Sellers Committee, the district consumes about 40,000 kg of chicken meat daily. Currently, live chicken costs Rs255 per kg. There are 50 chicken meat suppliers in Kaski.
Ashesh Bhattarai, operator of the Bhattarai Poultry Firm, one of the biggest farms in Kaski, said that the quality of pallets for chicks needed to be improved as the district had become self-sufficient in chicken products.
“For businesses to be sustainable and farmers to benefit from poultry farming, we need to keep a close watch on quality,” he said.
“The Meat Inspection Act should be implemented to enhance quality.” Bhattarai also stressed the need to end the
tendency of farmers to sell dead chickens.