Save marginal poultry farmers who upped protein in our diet

Guests and leaders of the Marginal Poultry Farmers' Unity Council at a discussion meeting at the National Press Club on Sunday

Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder trustee of Gonoshasthya Kendra on Sunday urged the government to frame a policy on the poultry sector so that the marginal poultry farmers can sustain their business.

Addressing a discussion meeting of the marginal Poultry Farmers Unity Council at the National Press Club as the chief guest he said that the marginal; poultry farmers set up the industry in the country and contributed a lot to adding nutrition to the diet of the people contributing to their longevity. The country cannot survive if the marginal farmers do not survive, he said.

Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, chairman of Kalyan Party was the special guest at the function which was also addressed by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Editor, GreenWatch Dhaka, and Kazi Mostafa Kamal, secretary general of the Marginal Poultry Farmers Unity Council among others,

Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury urged the government not to spend a huge amount of money to arrange a rally of one million people on the occasion of opening of the Padma Bridge at a time when two crore families were spending tough time in the grip of devastating floods.

He told the Prime Minister 'ýou have definitely done many big works' but realise when the Padma Bridge is being opened 22,000 kilometres of roads remain dilapidated across the country. Where the people will go coming down the bridge, he asked.

Dr. Chowdhury said the Prime Minister has done many good works but newspaper reports say there is no technician to run the X-ray machine at the Char Fesson Hospital. He said the Marginal Farmers will stand beside her at the hour of need.

Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said it is time to take a basic decisions as to whether we will hand over the country to the big capital or develop it for the welfare of all sections of the people. He said that the marginal farmers set up the poultry industry but now we are killing them. In the current budget we have read nothing that would improve the lot of the poor people.

Those who praised the budget in the Parliament represented the big businesses, he said adding that the country cannot be mortgaged to a handful of syndicates. He advised marginal farmers to form cooperatives to guard against machinations of middlemen in the business.

Mostafa Kamal Majumder demanded withdrawal of VAT and tax imposed on marginal pountry farmers to ensure that they can survive.

The Marginal Pountry Farmers put forward an 8-point charter of demands which call for stopping production of broiler and layer hen by owners of hatcheries; reduction of the price of poultry feed and monitoring of chicks and feed by the department of livestock; keeping the price of one-day old chicks to taka 30 to 32 a piece; and adequate measures to protect the poultry industry from the outbreak of diseases, and arrangement for marketing of products of marginal farmers.