OVERVIEW OF PAKISTAN POULTRY INDUSTRY

Poultry farming is now considered to be one of the most integral and dynamic component of the worldwide food production. The poultry culture is seemingly in the phase of rapid expansion. Even the Asian countries are in no exception to this. The broiler and chicken farms are all a part of this phenomenal expansion. The poultry farms in Pakistan have made a significant contribution towards the enhancement of food production strategies and measures. Poultry farming in Pakistan had started in the year 1963, when the country was in its initial phases of industrialization and agricultural growth. Pakistan poultry association was also formed in the nearby years with the intent of offering and introducing new and healthy farming practices through which the country would be able to meet it food related needs. It was in Karachi, that the first poultry hatchery had been formed marking a new era of poultry production in Pakistan. Since then a number of private poultry farms and industries have been launched in collaboration with foreign investors and companies. These days, the poultry sector seems to be concentrated around the urban and metropolitan centers of the country including Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Mianwali, Bhawalpur and many more. Another important contributor towards the development of poultry in Pakistan are the various managerial and core systems.

Management Systems

• Commercial poultry Farming
• Rural Poultry Farming

Rural poultry farming

The commercial sector of the Pakistani Poultry is now on the stage of its economic boom with a growth of 20 to 25 % on an annual basis. In addition to the various incentives and compensations provided by the government, advanced farming practices and measures can also be credited for this phenomenal expansion which has been. The steps taken from the side of the government include

• Income tax exemptions and compensations
• Use of advanced and scientific instruments and measures
• Funded research on farming
• Duty free imports
• Enhanced farming equipment
• Better feeding ingredients and disease control chemicals
• Interest free loans and banking options

Improvements in the infrastructures

It is due to the large scale and multifaceted investment that now more and more hatcheries are being established all over the country. Presently, there are nearly 352 hatcheries that have been set in the country with a capacity of nearly 346 million day-old chicks on an annual basis. The population in terms of poultry is estimated to be nearly 319 million, out of which more than 44 % is coming from the rural sectors. The population includes

• 160 million broilers
• 17 million layers
• 5 million breeding stocks
• 13154 farms

Importance of poultry farming to Pakistan

Poultry farming is of extreme and undeniable importance to the country, especially in terms of offering better foods and animal proteins in a more accessible and cheaper way. It is a fact that most of the people in the country suffer from protein deficiency and consume much lesser than the suggested amount for a daily basis.

Various poultry breeds

Buff rock, Rhodes Island and Sussex are the breeds that are being hatched and brought up successful in the country keeping in view the desired traits and features. On an average, a laying bird is able to produce nearly 250 eggs yearly and has a weight of about 1.2 kg within 8 weeks of its birth. The total output of Pakistan in terms of eggs laid is about 6.5 million thousand eggs per year which is indeed is a clear indicator about the potential for growth and expansion which is evident in the specified amounts and reported statistics. Furthermore, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done including some advanced and modified approaches to expansion of poultry business in Pakistan.

Approaches directed to increase production

• Increased funds to the rural sector
• Rearing and modification of traits through modes of cross breeding and genetic engineering need to be introduced
• Encouraging the establishment of more hatcheries and control sheds in Pakistan
• Leniency in the poultry products and prices of the feeds
• Offering technical and specialized training to the farmers
• Provision of specialized chemicals for the treatment of various debilitating diseases

Conclusion

Much needs to be done for the improvement of the poultry sector, so that it may play a vital and determining role in the economy of the nation. The sector indeed has a lot of potential for rapid expansion and in inducing a change in the lives of the people who are linked to it. The government should endeavor to offer new policies and regulations for the wellbeing of the sector.