2 April
The prices of poultry and eggs have slightly risen as the demand grows amid Covid-19 fears, according to the Myanmar Livestock Federation (MLF).
MLF has affirmed that there is no need for people to concern with the possible shortage of poultry and eggs in the internal market during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, the rising demand drove the price up a bit.
The eggs are currently priced around K2,200-2,500 per viss (a viss equals to 1.6 kg), while chicken fetched around K2,400-K3,300 per viss.
Livestock and poultry production in Myanmar has been growing 10-15 per cent annually. Most breeders are using traditional methods and some have shifted to modern methods. Moreover, integrated poultry and fish farming are widely seen in Myanmar.
According to the MLF, at present, 1.35 million broilers are being raised for poultry production, about 1.465 million semi-broilers, and more than 2.9 million layers for eggs at integrated poultry and fish farms.
MLF stated that the industry has been producing poultry and eggs at a reasonable price to fulfill the needs of the consumers. It also helps support the country’s meat sector.
MLF has asked the government to conduct a systematic analysis of integrated poultry and fish farming and move slowly on implementing a ban on that farming as it could hurt the livelihood of more than 37,980 people depending on this industry and investors.
Additionally, the local produce is now also facing pressure from foreign investors entering the sector. Local poultry breeding is mostly carried out on a small scale by farmers, but now investments from China, Thailand and India have entered the sector. This being so, the local breeders need to shift to modern breeding methods and increase the production rate to keep up with the foreign investors.—Ko Khant (Translated by Ei Myat Mon)
