Kanchanpur faces eggs shortage

Mahendranagar, Dec. 25 (RSS): Of the total 8,000 eggs consumed by the residents of Khanchanpur district daily, only 3,000 eggs are produced within the district and the remaining eggs are imported from India.

Some of the enthusiastic farmers of the district have been producing eggs by constituting the kanchan poultry committee with the cooperation of the district livestock services office.

The Kanchan poultry committee which started poultry farming five months ago has been producing 3,000 eggs a day and within the next two weeks it is expected to produce 8,000 eggs and meet the local requirements, according to chairman of the kanchan poultry committee Bishnu Singh Dhami.

After the kanchan poultry committee increased production of eggs in the district, the indian businessmen has reduced the price of one crate (30 eggs) eggs from rs 95 to rs 85 making it difficult for the committee to compete in the local market, mr dhami said.

At present the committee has been selling one crate of eggs (30) at rs 90 in the local market.

According to veterinary doctor Amar Shaha, the eggs of the German Lomann chickens produced by the local farmers are more fresher and healthier than the eggs imported from india.

Altogether 64 men and 36 women of Suda and Daiji Village Development Committees are involved in poultry these days.

After the department of livestock services launched the poverty alleviation and self-employment promotion program in nine districts of the far western development region through the district livestock services offices in the fiscal year 2057/58, the kanchan poultry committee constituted by the local farmers have been earning an income of about rs 26,000 a month.

The local farmers have registered kanchan livestock and poultry cooperative with the objective of expanding poultry farms in the district.

The Kanchan poultry committee has been producing necessary materials, poultry feed and providing technical assistance and marketting services by becoming the hatchery dealer in the district.

The development of poultry farms has contributed to providing direct and indirect employment to the rural populace.

Earlier the district livestock service office had provided 92 farmers 9,566 chickens, rs 10,000 for building sheds, rs 30,000 for poultry feed, medicines and other materials as grant assistance, and necessary training for rearing chickens.

Lomann layer hens lays 336 eggs within a period of 20 months.

Kanchan poultry committee has been working together with the village development committee and the local bodies for increasing production and marketting eggs.

As a result of the difference in the price of locally produced eggs and Indian eggs, the market is still being captured by indian eggs.

The local bussinessmen have also been selling indian eggs of inferior quality in the market with the objective making more profit without taking into consideration the health of the people.

Bhangu Rana, a woman poultry farmer of daiji VDC-1 says that the hard work put in by the farmers would be wasted if the eggs produced by them cannot be marketted properly.