Dhaka: The Bangladesh Marginal Poultry Industry Protection Association has urged the government to implement a 6-point demand to rescue marginal poultry farmers from soaring production costs and corporate market manipulation. At a roundtable discussion held in Jatiya Press Club on Wednesday, the association’s Founding Chairman, Md. Mofijul Islam (Mollik), warned of countrywide protests-including a sit-in program in the capital’s Shahbagh wearing shrouds-if their demands are not implemented by August 17.
According to United News of Bangladesh, speakers at the seminar alleged that despite six years of continuous advocacy, marginal farmers are facing extinction due to the unbridled prices of poultry feed, day-old chicks, and veterinary medicine, compounded by corporate syndication. “While marginal farmers are failing to secure fair prices for eggs and broiler chickens, intermediaries and syndicates are manipulating the market, causing financial distress for both producers and general consumers,” Mofijul Islam stated.
He criticized the continuous involvement of large corporate entities in direct egg and chicken production, which he argued undercuts small-scale farm operations.
The Association’s 6-Point Demands include capping feed prices to reduce and fix the price of 50-kg broiler feed bags between Tk 2,000 and Tk 2,100, and layer/Sonali feed between Tk 1,700 and Tk 1,800, while ensuring feed quality. They also demand the regulation of chick prices, standardizing day-old broiler and layer chick prices between Tk 20 and Tk 25 throughout the year.
Another critical demand is to ban corporate commercial farming by restricting feed and chick manufacturing corporate companies from directly producing commercial eggs and ready chickens. Additionally, they seek low-interest bank loans to be provided to small and marginal poultry farmers, and the imposition of a production cap to prevent market monopolization, limiting individuals to a maximum of 10,000 birds per commercial farmer.
The association also calls for state-run hatchery support to produce and supply broiler, layer, and Sonali chicks through government-run hatcheries at fair prices.
The association announced plans to send a 7-member delegation to meet with government officials at the Bangladesh Secretariat by August 7 to negotiate solutions. If the discussions yield no results or the demands remain unfulfilled by August 17, marginal farmers from across the country will gather at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection on August 29 to launch a hunger strike and road blockade.
Among others, central leaders of the association Imran Ali, Yousul Ali, Kahol Mia, Babla Mia, Mostafa Kamal, and Asraful Islam spoke at the event.