DHAKA: The poultry industry is progressing towards safe production every day despite limitations, speakers at a roundtable meeting have said.
Presence of heavy metal has decreased significantly in poultry, the speakers said. Very few countries use as many alternatives to antibiotics as Bangladesh does.
The roundtable was organized by the World’s Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) at Dhaka Regency Hotel on Sunday.
Bangladesh has started producing Antibiotic Growth Promoter free poultry food, the speakers said.
They urged the government to allow local companies to produce poultry vaccines, take the backyard poultry under vaccination coverage and arrange training for the farmers as well as the concerned officials on safe food.
The speakers added that antibiotic has been banned in poultry feed but there is no restriction on water soluble antibiotics.
Professor Dr Priya Mohan Das, Professor Dr Emdadul Haque Chowdhury, Professor Dr SD Chowdhury, Professor Sukuma Saha, Professor Dr Syed Sayem Uddin Ahmed, Dr JL Vegad, Dr Hannes Meyns and Dr Kai-J Kuhlmann presented technical keynote papers at the roundtable.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Nayaron Chandra Chanda said: “The lion’s share of chicken meat and eggs are being produced by the poultry industry which has created job opportunities all over the country. Therefore the welfare of the millions poultry farmers should be taken care of.”
The WPSA-BB President Shamsul Arefin Khaled said: “Producing enough food for a growing population is a challenge. Fourteen of the 17 SDG goals have connections to the poultry sector, some way or other. Poultry rearing can double household income.
