The poultry sector will require up to Tk 30,000 crore in fresh investments to meet the increased demand for chicken meat and eggs by 2021, said entrepreneurs yesterday.

“We want to contribute to reducing malnutrition," said Shamsul Arefin Khaled, president of World's Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB), at the opening of the 10th International Poultry Show and Seminar in Dhaka.

WPSA-BB organised the three-day event at International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka, to promote the use of scientific knowledge and modern technology in poultry farming, the main supplier of animal protein in the country.

The nearly Tk 30,000 crore industry has grown in the last three and a half decades, creating millions of jobs, thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs and government support, including tax benefits.

Some 150,000 poultry farms pro-

duce 57 crore tonnes of meat and 734 crore pieces of eggs a year, according to a paper presented by Prof MA Sattar Mandal, former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University.

Khaled said Bangladesh's total population will be 17.22 crore by 2021. “We want to increase the per capita consumption of eggs to 85 pieces a year from 51 pieces at present, and the per capita meat consumption to 7.5 kilograms a year from 4.2 kilograms."

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He urged for withdrawal of the advanced income tax and duty on essential raw materials of the poultry industry until 2021, so that the sector can expand and meet the growing demand for animal protein.

Khaled demanded closing of the wet market in phases.

It has become difficult for entrepreneurs to keep their poultries free from disease attacks even after ensuring biosecurity measures and caution, he said.

"We appeal to the government to regularly clean the wet markets and keep them disinfected, as people prefer to buy live birds in our country."

Mandal said unplanned and localised slaughtering are not only contam-

inating the food but also threatening the environment.

"Slaughtering and the processing of live animals and birds are grave stages of contamination," he said. "We have slaughtering laws but those need strict enforcement, review and updates."

At the programme, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury called upon entrepreneurs to remain cautious in making feed so that farmers get quality feed and produce safe poultry.

"Farmers will not buy inferior quality feed," she added.

Chowdhury also suggested scientists develop improved breeds by working on indigenous varieties of chicken. There are a number of local varieties that are popular for meat, she said.

The poultry sector can create more employment, she said, adding that the government would continue supporting the advancement of the sector.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Narayon Chandra Chanda said growth of the poultry industry has enabled people to get animal protein at reasonable prices.

"There is doubt whether we can meet 10 percent of our demand for eggs," he said.

WPSA-BB General Secretary Sirajul Islam added that poultry industry contributed a lot in fighting malnutrition in the last four decades.

Some 195 local and foreign companies attended the event that will end tomorrow.