Mawlamyine, February (9)
Almost all small-scale poultry farming in Mon State has ceased due to general crises in more than two years since the military coup, the breeders told Than Lwin Times.
Small-scale poultry farming businesses have been shut down due to the steep rise in the prices of farm inputs such as feed and medicine, the high cost of building chicken farms, general costs, and rising labor costs.
On the other side, because of illegally imported frozen meat from Thailand, the livestock industry is forced to cease operations because it is unable to compete in the market.
A livestock entrepreneur said that at least 80 percent of small-scale poultry farming businesses have stopped due to their inability to compete in the market with large companies, along with some other challenges.
A farm owner has stopped raising chickens due to the high cost of livestock inputs, and others have sold their farms and moved abroad to work.
Small-scale poultry farmers have reduced their operations due to losses, and some have stopped their businesses completely.
Skilled workers who have become unemployed due to the shutdown of local farming operations are often arrested for entering other countries through illegal routes.
In the long run, if almost all small-scale farming businesses stop, the meat production in the region will decrease, and the illegal frozen meat coming from other countries may pose a risk to the health of the local people.
Mon State primarily raises chickens for meat and eggs, pigs, and fish, with some goat, duck, cattle, and quail on a small scale.
News-Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes