Livestock farming—rearing goats, chicken and pigs—according to one’s ethnicity for household consumption, rituals and as a source of cash was common in the past. Feeding animals with kitchen scraps, cereals and vegetable waste and grazing them in fallow lands was likewise normal practice. With urbanisation, such subsistence production systems have shifted to commercial farming to fulfil the growing demands of the cities.

Many producers these days keep a larger number of meat animals in confined areas, supplementing their diet with commercial feeds and adopting disease and pest control measures. These activities have gradually shifted the process to inorganic meat production. To gain competitive advantages, producers haphazardly use hybrid genetic materials, agro-chemicals and other disease-control measures. However, in many interior areas, most of the goats, chickens and pigs reared are still fed an organic diet. But due to the lack of a proper certification procedure, there is no differentiation of such organic produce from the rest in the market.

Organic certification of meat products implies that commodities have been produced under a uniform set of standards that are ecologically friendly and chemical free, and are based on intensive agricultural method where every stage of production and handling is inspected by authorised certifying agencies.

Pattern of consumption

A large share of meat intake in the Nepali diet is provided by buffalo meat, which constitutes 60 percent (276,665 metric tonnes) of the supply. More than 60 percent of buffalo meat is sourced from culled animals, largely supplied by India. Commercial buffalo meat production, although recently initiated, has a negligible impact on market share.

Poultry meat constitutes about 23 percent (106,845.5 mt) of the meat market. The poultry industry is growing fast and maintains a steady increment in the market share. Goat and sheep meat jointly contribute 12 percent (54,975 mt) to the meat market; their production system is still based on subsistence farming. There is an increasing trend of commercial pig farming, but its current market share is only about four percent (17,860 mt). The current average meat consumption per capita per year is only 16.8 kg, which is far below the world average (37.9 kg). This indicates that there is a high potential for expansion of quality meat production and marketing in Nepal.

Under subsistence production, most buffaloes, sheep, goats and chickens rarely receive antibiotics and other chemicals. But due to the lack of organised certification schemes, they are not identified as organic. Awareness among producers, systemic documentation and national certification framework are, therefore, essential to address this anomaly. Organised production through producers’ groups could be also be instrumental.

Power of poultry

With regards to chicken meat, widely consumed by Nepalis, it is mainly produced commercially by using antibiotics, vaccines and other chemicals. Nonetheless, at a global scale, the poultry sector accounts for the largest amount of organic meat sales. Chicken meat is organically produced mostly in the US, in Europe and Australia. Compared to other meat items, organic chickens dominate the market because of their relatively short-production cycle, comparatively low investment cost and ease of integrating them into the organic farming system. Chickens can be raised next to organic vegetable plots and chicken manure can be used as fertilisers. Farmers in Nepal have currently started marketing organic fertiliser throughout the country as bio-mal.

Commercial poultry egg and meat consumption in Nepal is about 48 eggs and 3.8 kg, respectively, per capita per year, which is far below the Asian and global averages. Apart from the low consumption rate, consumers’ tastes, of late, have gradually shifted to organic meat, prompted mainly by unwanted effects of chemical residues in consumers’ diets. Such conscious consumers are willing to pay premium prices for organic poultry meat products.

The use of chemicals has also resulted in the difference in quality between organically and inorganically produced chicken meat.  In such a situation, organic poultry could be a healthier animal source of quality protein. Furthermore, the consumers’ demand for quality food should help sustain organic farms.

Organic meat

A major challenge to organic meat production, however, is selection of production sites, which must be isolated, free from chemical contamination and far from major traffic movement. Producers should establish appropriate animal shelters (housing) and free-range areas that allow birds to move freely while minimising the stress on them. Organically produced feeds—which do not contain prohibited chemicals, unapproved animal waste-related feed ingredients, or restricted feed additives or supplements—are prerequisites for feeding such poultry.

The other challenge is the availability of an appropriate breed that is sturdy and resistant to diseases and parasites. Lastly, it is important to ensure adoption of sound documentation and record keeping to maintain the organic integrity of every step of production and marketing. This should be done by proper accreditation authorities. Developing a national organic programme and working in co-ordination with all stakeholders will ensure that the vision of an organic Nepal is achieved. The current market in Nepal offers multiple opportunities for the poultry sector to initiate and stay at the forefront of organic meat production and marketing. The industry should, therefore, strive to strategically harness this market opportunity in Nepal and also in the neigbouring markets in  India and China.

Bhattarai is president of World Poultry Science Association, Nepal Branch, and CEO of Pancharatna Group of Poultry Industry, Chitwan