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Incentives being given to poultry industry: Zafar

RAWALPINDI: Federal Agriculture Secretary Dr. Zafar Altaf has said that government has given encouraging incentives to the poultry industry.

The incentives included removal of GST on packed poultry meat with a purpose to enable the people to have poultry meat on cheaper rates while the government was giving special attention to develop the processing industry on the poultry side, says a press release.

He stated this in a meeting while discussing the problems of poultry industry at Poultry Research Institute (PRI), Rawalpindi. Dr. Bashir Mahmud Bhatti, Director PRI, Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Khalid Salim Malik, Capt. Siddiq Malik, Central Chairman PPA, Dr. Mohammad Aslam, Dr. Mohammad Sadiq, Mohammad Yousaf Haroon, Haji Mohammad Bashir, Raza Mehmud Khorsundu were prominent among the participants besides leading poultry farmers from all the four provinces were present in the meeting.

Dr. Zafar Altaf said that GSP on poultry feed has been abolished so as to make the poultry industry flourishing and this step has provided a relief to the poultry farmers in the shape of lesser expenditure on the production side.

Dr. Zafar said that a poultry diagnostic laboratory at national level is to be established which would help to reduce the mortality rate of the poultry birds.

The PPA Chairman Khalid Salim Malik informed the secretary agriculture about the problems confronted to this industry which was affecting productivity in this sector. He added that the incentives for the expansion of poultry industry were not sufficient. He pointed out that the inflated rates of electricity diseases and non-availability of loans from Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) were some of the factors which were responsible for slow moving of the industry.

He said that the poultry industry also lacked the facilities of equipments which were not manufactured here but these are to be imported. He demanded that under Marriage Ordinance one dish be allowed which would help in the betterment of poultry sector.

Dr. Zafar Altaf assured the members of PPA that sympathetic action would be taken on the issues faced at present to the poultry industry. APP