Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 10: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) today raised alarm over the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir’s poultry sector, urging immediate Government action to prevent its collapse.
FCIK spokesperson said in a meeting held with the Kashmir Valley Poultry Farmers Association (KVPFA), FCIK President Shahid Kamili said the poultry industry is facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens the livelihoods of thousands of people and the region’s food security. “The meeting, held at FCIK headquarters, was attended by senior members of FCIK and KVPFA, including Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, President of KVPFA,” he said. He added that they discussed the challenges poultry farmers have been facing for over eight years due to policy failures, lack of infrastructure, and market imbalances.
The spokesperson said farmers highlighted that the removal of the Lakhanpur toll post and the abolition of toll tax on poultry imports have severely hit the local industry. “Earlier, the tax acted as an economic safeguard, allowing local producers to compete with cheaper poultry imports from outside states. Since the tax removal, local poultry production has dropped from 85% to just 20% of the region’s consumption,” he said.
He said the farmers also highlighted problems like higher production costs, non-functional hatcheries and feed mills, harsh climate conditions leading to high mortality rates, and expensive procurement of one-day-old chicks from South India due to lack of local facilities.
Additionally, he said, they raised concerns over the Government allowing the import of cheap frozen chicken from outside the UT, which not only threatens local sales but also poses serious public health risks due to poor quality and hygiene standards.
The spokesperson said FCIK assured the poultry farmers that it would press the Government to form an expert committee for a complete review of the poultry sector. “It also called for a ban on low-quality frozen meat imports and demanded the reintroduction of Cess on poultry imports to protect the local industry and jobs,” he said.
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