Poultry Business in Pakistan

Poultry farming is raising chickens, turkeys, ducks and other fowl for meat or eggs. Poultry farms can be: 1. Breeding farms where they raise poultry for meat, 2. Layer farms where they produce eggs. History The poultry production commenced in Pakistan in 1963. Poultry as on a commercial scale in the private sector started due to pioneering effect made by PIA (Pakistan International Airline) in 1965, when the first modern hatchery unit in Karachi was established. Later on, the investments have taken keen interest in this sector, as was result of which substantial development has taken place towards expansion of this industry.

The commercial poultry farming emerged through the combined efforts and foresight of the government and the private enterprises. Now commercial poultry production is concentrated around the large urban centers in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab and initially at Karachi, Lahore with the passage of time, it is now fairly well spread all over the country. Hen birds were mostly maintained in the backyard of the houses in villages on a small scale, with very little investment by the villagers in terms of money and material.

The return on those birds was too little, and there was hardly any attraction for investments to operate the same on large scales. Poultry states in Pakistan Poultry produced in Pakistan is being developed through two management systems i. e. commercial farming and rural poultry farming. The commercial poultry farming sector is a classic example of private sector enterprise with a phenomenal growth of 20 to 25 % per annum. The achievement of this rapid growth was made to the incentives granted by the government time by time through income tax, liberal financing etc.

In the provinces of Sindh, there are farms in Mirpurkhas, Sukhar, and Nawabshah as well as in small cities. Similarly, in the province of the Punjab, poultry farms have been well established in the areas of Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore, Bhawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, and Mianwali. Now the large scale investment and proper incentives have resulted in the establishment of infrastructure comprising of 252 hatcheries with capacity to produce 346 million day- old chicks per annum, 141 feed mills with the capacity to produce 2540 thousand tons of compounds feed per annum and 13154 poultry farms with the capacity to produce 98 million broilers.

The present total poultry population is estimated to be 319 million, out of which 137 million is rural (44%), 160 million broilers (50%), 17 million layers(5%)and 5 million breeding (2%) stock annually. [pic] Weight vs. production A laying bird produces an average of 250 eggs per year and the average live weight of the broiler is recommended as 1200 grams ( or 1. 2 kg), at 8 weeks of age. Pakistan produces 6. 5 thousand million eggs and 340 thousand tones poultry meat. The consumption of poultry feed increased with their ages. It reached its peak (135g/bird/ day) at 25 weeks age.

Then it declined slightly reaching 124g / bird/ day at 33 weeks of age. There are also some local breeds, which are highly productive and are more adaptive to the local conditions. These important poultry breeds of fowls are cross bred with each other to produce. The product is concentrated around the large urban centers in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and NWFP. The majority of such farmers are generally in and around the cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Faisalabad. The capacity of the layers farm varies from 2000 to 20000 birds and that of the broilers farms from 103 to 403 birds per annum.

The higher cost of poultry feed is mainly due to the increase in the price of the various ingredients particularly fishmeal in their poultry feed. In these days prices of poultry are very high due to the cost of ingredients needed for the manufacturer of the feed meal. Types of Poultry farms Different types of poultry farms cater to different segments of the market. Breeding farms are set up for the sole purpose of hatching and raising poultry for sale to other farmers. The farmers who buy poultry from these farms set up broiler farms. Broiler chickens are reared just for their meat.

The usual procedure is to procure day old chicks, keep them for six weeks and market them. During the time that they are in the farm, their feeding, supplements, etc. is closely monitored. Another type of poultry farm is layer farm, where chicks are raised for the purpose of egg production. Types of Pakistani poultry chickens Asil (or Aseel)[pic] The Asil or Aseel is a breed of chicken originating from South Punjab/ Sindh area of Pakistan. Similar fowl are found throughout Southeast Asia and have names like Shamo, Taiwan, etc. Asils were first used for cock fighting.

Aseel is noted for its pugnacity. The chicks often fight when they are just a few weeks old and mature roosters will fight to the death. Hens can also be very aggressive towards each other. • Madras asil • Reza Asil • Kulang Asil • Sindhi breed • Mianwali breed • Bantam Asil Sadal Similar to Asils are Sadal (called Malay in Europe). This is a very large breed of chicken from Pakistan. They have longer legs with thin thighs and little wattles with pea-combs. Afghan game fowl[pic] Buff chicken[pic] Pakistani Rooster Pakistan produces 6. 5 thousand million eggs and 340 thousand tones poultry meat.

The consumption of poultry feed increased with their ages. It reached its peak (135g/bird/ day) at 25 weeks age. Then it declined slightly reaching 124g / bird/ day at 33 weeks of age. There are also some local breeds, which in and around the cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Faisalabad. The capacity of the layers farm varies from 2000 to 20000 birds and that of the broilers farms from 103 to 403 birds per annum. The higher cost of poultry feed is mainly due to the increase in the price of the various ingredients particularly fishmeal in their poultry feed.

In these days prices of poultry are very high due to the cost of ingredients needed for the manufacturer of the feed meal. are highly productive and are more adaptive to the local conditions. These important poultry breeds of fowls are cross bred with each other to produce. The product is concentrated around the large urban centers in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and NWFP. The majority of such farmers are generally Poultry produced in Pakistan is being developed through two management systems i. e. commercial farming and rural poultry farming.

The commercial poultry farming sector is a classic example of private Ector enterprise with a phenomenal growth of 20 to 25 % per annum. The achievement of this rapid growth was made to the incentives granted by the government from time to time, like liberal financing and credit, income tax exemption, duty free import of grand parent and parent flocks, machinery and poultry farm equipments, such as hatcheries, cages, brooders, feed ingredients such as soybean, meal, maize, and sorghum for use in poultry feeds, in addition to liberal and easy facility to obtain loans from commercial banks and financial institutions.

Now the large scale investment and proper incentives have resulted in the establishment of infrastructure comprising of 252 hatcheries with capacity to produce 346 million day- old chicks per annum, 141 feed mills with the capacity to produce 2540 thousand tons of compounds feed per annum and 13154 poultry farms with the capacity to produce 98 million broilers. The present total poultry population is estimated to be 319 million, out of which 137 million is rural (44%), 160 million broilers (50%), 17 million layers (5%) and 5 million breeding (2%) stock annually.

These figures speak of the potential that has been established in the country to increase production of eggs and poultry meat thereby reducing further the gap of availability of animal protein foods. Modern poultry farming has a special importance for countries such as Pakistan. Because it is being an easy and relatively cheap method of raising dietary standard of the people. The shortages of animal protein in Pakistan is estimated at 0. 93 million tones on the basis of human population of 140 million. The average consumption of animal protein is a meager 17g as against the recommended daily requirement of 28g.

This shortage of protein can well The human diet in Pakistan is deficient with respect to proteins of animal origin. At present 66 per cent of the people are deficient in protein. The requirement of protein is 102. 7 gram per head per day while the available protein is 69. 61 gram per head per day. The gap in requirement of protein is 33. 09 gram. The main source of animal protein is beef, mutton, milk, poultry meat and eggs. In developing countries like Pakistan where the population is growing at a faster rate, the gap in production of food especially of animal origin is widening year after year.

Government on her part, exempted this industry from income tax and sales tax, allowed export of table eggs, day old chicks and broiler on subsidized rates. Poultry production now has emerged as a good substitute of beef and mutton. This table shows that poultry is developing in our country in spite of problems this industry is facing. However, along with this expansion, the poultry raisers lament the low economic returns on their products and consumers in street protest against high cost of poultry which is due to high marketing margin.

The poultry industry faces problems like the incidence of diseases, substandard and costly feed and inefficient marketing system. In all stages of development, there is a need for improving the efficiency and lowering the cost of distribution. An economical marketing system can help the producers sell their products at reasonable prices and the consumers to buy their needs at minimum cost. If we want to survive in post-WTO scenario, we should give emphasis on quality and price. In a competitive environment only those products will be accepted by consumers which are of good quality and are also available at reasonable price.

Losses occur in case of death of birds due to diseases and poor handling. Grading is largely ignored in egg trade because of extra cost required for grading. Transportation is the most important component of marketing system. In economic sense, transportation means the moving of goods from surplus production areas to deficient areas. For marketing of eggs and birds, the commission agents and retailers use various means of transportation to take produce to the market. Bicycle, motorcycle, wagons and donkey carts are being used for transportation.

The higher losses during transportation are due to longer distance, bumpy roads and lack of modern packing techniques. Poultry farmers don’t get fair returns. They put a lot of effort in increasing and developing their business but the commission agents usually get the produce from them at low prices and earn a lot of profit by selling at a higher price. Poultry farmers should do their job both as producer as well as commission agents. So, they can earn more profit out of their business. To improve the present marketing system of poultry, following suggestions may be helpful: Poultry feed and prices:

Poultry feed gained importance with the emergence of poultry farming on a wide scale in the country. At present, poultry feed is produced by commercial feed mills as well as by home mixture. There are several feed mills located in the different parts of main cities of Pakistan. The different ingredients required for making poultry feed are broken or coarse grains (wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum barley, dried sea food, dried blood of animals, broken pulses and different vitamins). The poultry feed by its quality and price is the major factor in determining the cost of poultry products i. . eggs and broilers and profitability of the poultry farm. The prices of feed have been constantly increasing. Due to recent global changes in the price structure of the cereal grains and other feed stuffs, the poultry industry at present is handicapped on account of high feed cost which have gone over to more than 60% of the total cost of production. Approaches to increase production In order to increase the production of poultry the following approaches are considered marine in the productivity. • Rural necessary for implementation.

Commercial poultry sectors be continued to boost up substantial poultry sector be enhanced. • Rearing of traits be introduced on large scale commercial production ducks, partridges and pigeons rearing be introduced. • Encourage establishment of poultry farms in private sectors engaged in the production of birds for rural development to improve food availability. • Coarse grain production must be increased under target oriented program like major crops. Price support must be granted. Oil cakes/ meat production can be increased through increasing oilseed crops. To improve poultry health and extension services vaccination against contagious disease must be carried to several 60% of rural poultry production as against existing 25% to establish locally disease reference laboratory. • To establish small poultry units of varying sizes in the villages to increase production of village level. • Private sectors be encouraged to establish disease diagnostic laboratory and vaccine production unit to improve poultry marketing. • To establish poultry processing plants and cold stores to provide ready market for broilers. • To establish poultry marketing center at different places in ities and towns. • To curtail breakage losses, packing and distribution system should be modernized • Government should take immediate steps to improve the roads, for timely and quickly delivery of produce. • To enhance economic viability of the poultry industry, the prices of feed and medicines should be kept within reasonable limits. • Poultry coordination boards should be established at federal as well as provincial level to stabilize and maintain quality prices. • Lack of grading at farm level dos not promote the quality of eggs at a price premium.

So practice of grading at producer’s level would be encouraged and price information on the basis of grades and standards should be regularly collected and disseminated. • Inadequate health facilities are one of the major constraints in poultry production. It is due to viral, bacterial infection and parasitic infestation. For this, a long run vaccination and de-worming campaign policy should be started at national level. • Government should construct veterinary laboratory for drug residue testing in the poultry products. This will ensure quality in exported products. Steps should be taken to improve sanitary and hygienic conditions of birds casing processing units. Advantages The poultry meat and egg production over many decades have shown positive growth in the overall performances of the livestock sector and it has now reached a stage where its impact is obvious on the national economy of the country. The supply of eggs and poultry methods based on two distinct methods of production small scale village production and modern commercial methods in and around big cities. Poultry keeping business is one of the most promising sources of additional income.

Besides, this poultry farming has a number of advantages. It produces much needed protein, food, it serves as a source of income and employment to many and it has good returns. Poultry keeping is becoming more and more capital intensive, and it is very profitable. The income from poultry business begins to emerge within 8 to 9 weeks for broiler or 20 to 22 weeks for layers. A broiler is a young male or female bird under the age of 10 weeks. These are generally fast growing breeds reared and marketed for meat. Depending on feed and management broiler mature in 8 weeks weighing nearing 2-2. kg and the broiler consume about 4 kg of feed in the period of 6 to 8 weeks is the usual age for marketing. Most breeders rear broilers to be ready for sale during festivals when demand of profit is high. A layer of mature age generally lays 250 -300 eggs. These eggs provide high quality protein to the house hold. In addition to eggs and meat poultry provide manure that is of great value on the farm. It has been observed that nearly 40 hens or deep litter yields about 1000 kg of manure per year. The income from layers (hens) begins to appear within 8 to 10 weeks, for broilers or 18 to 20 weeks for layers.

According to the economic survey (94-95), 2. 35 kg / capita per year eggs were available in Pakistan during this period. Disadvantages It is a well known fact that poultry farming is a profitable business but it has also some disadvantages some disease such as Newcastle disease, Marke’s disease, infectious bronchitis, gum-boro disease, fowl pox, myco-plasmosis, coccidiosis, lymphoid, adino virus hydro-pericardium etc. are very common in the poultry chicken. These diseases affect very quickly and have tremendous effects on the growth of the birds.

The excess use of meat also has ill-effects on the health of their users, because the feed they eat contains lots of unhygienic ingredients. Avian influenza Avian influenza, sometimes avian flu, and commonly bird flu, refers to “influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. Of the greatest concern is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). “Bird flu” is a phrase similar to “swine flu,” “dog flu,” “horse flu,” or “human flu” in that it refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host.

All known viruses that cause influenza in birds belong to the species influenza A virus. All subtypes (but not all strains of all subtypes) of influenza A virus are adapted to birds, which is why for many purposes avian flu virus is the influenza A virus. Swine flu Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus also related to bird flu of poultry animal.

During the past half century, genetic selection, heterocyst, changes in husbandry, improved nutrition, and controls of diseases and parasites have contributed to the escalating growth rate of meat-type poultry. In the 1940’s, broilers required 12 weeks to reach a market weight of 4. 4 pounds; today they achieve this weight in 6 weeks, and the reduction by the industry of 1 day per year to achieve this weight continues unabated. Comparable changes have occurred in turkey and waterfowl production. The result is greatly improved efficiency of feed utilization because of reduced maintenance.

Several health and welfare problems seen predominantly in meat-type birds are related to rapid growth rate. A correlated response to the selection of turkeys for increased body weight and a broad breast is the development of deep muscle myopathy (atrophy of the inferior pectoral is muscle) caused by an inadequate blood supply to the tissues. Both turkeys and meat chickens exhibit skeletal disorders, particularly in the bones of the pelvic limb (femur, patella, tibia, and metatarsus) and their associated tendons.

These disorders are not necessarily associated with body weight or conformation, but instead with the differential growth of body parts, particularly accelerated growth of muscle that is not commensurate with skeletal development. Skeletal abnormalities can be further exacerbated by the resulting motor impediments. The lack of synchronous growth among body components in broilers, including the heart and lungs, can contribute to pulmonary hypertension causing excess fluids in the body (as cites). An additional problem is “sudden death syndrome,” the cause of which is unknown.

These health problems are of great concern to the poultry industry, and considerable research is being conducted on the negative aspects associated with rapid growth in today’s broilers. Relationships are complex, and in some cases neither genetic nor non-genetic solutions are readily available. Some alleviation, however, may be feasible by moderating growth during certain periods in the bird’s life. Capture and crating and uncrating. Stress should also be minimized during transportation. USDA has developed guidelines for air transport of chicks and hatching eggs (18).

Meat birds are slaughtered by being shackled and electrically stunned in a brine-water-bath stunner, followed by the severing of the vertebral and/or carotid arteries with an automatic knife. The stunning currents used are intended to render the bird insensible temporarily until bleed-out is completed. Laying hens are usually not stunned, because their bones, which may be osteoporosis due to lack of exercise and the high rate of calcium usage for egg formation, break during the application of an electrical current.