The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Private individuals who set up poultry farm businesses are off late with the mindset that although they foster the government and thereby the country’s self-sufficiency goal in egg production, they have been handed a short end of the stick in terms of support.
Respective individuals in the line of business say the livestock office does not provide them with the similar support rendered to the group-owned poultry farms.
Such an individual is 35-year old Tshewang Tenzin who decided to remain back in the village after his graduation in 2010 to set up poultry farm in his village in Monangkhola, Khaling under Trashigang dzongkhag. With not much knowledge on poultry farming and support from experts, he ventured into the business solely with his passion for poultry farming.
However his efforts and drive toward self-sufficiency in the community is going down the drain with increased price of poultry-feed, inadequate feed and fodder resources.
“I do not get enough feed or quality-feed for my growing poultry population,” Tshewang Tenzin said.
He said due to lack of quality and inaccessibility of feeds, the number of fowls, dropped from 100 last year to 30 this year. With the increase of feed prices, he fed the fowls with grains which he said is a disaster to his business.
He also said that poultry farming needs like special trainings and also skills to handle and care for the chickens was not provided. Within three years of his poultry business he was fortunate to get just one opportunity to participate in a three-day training course on poultry farming.
On the other hand the group-poultry farms receive assistance in terms of materials, medical and funds from the nearest livestock office but the privately-owned poultry farms are deprived of such assistance.
According to Tshewang Tenzin medical related works is way beyond a person like him to do and he needs expert help from the livestock officials. Also the entrepreneurship course is mostly conducted in the capital.
He said that being a private farm, essential supports are not rendered to him and his business is already into huge losses. “Earlier I used to sell 70 eggs a day now I can hardly sell 10.” This according to him is due to the loss of his fowls to diseases being unable to feed them with quality feeds.
The gewog Livestock Officer, C.B Bhujel said apart from the clinical treatment and vaccination, no other support like materials and funds are provided to a private-owned poultry farm.
“Individual private poultry owner should come to us for medicine, we give medicines only when they come asking for it,” the Livestock Officer said.
The cost of feed according to the officer is beyond their intervention as the cost of the feed at the source has increased.
These problems are very common. I think that every poultry farmer should really step up and not just wait for the government to support the. It is still a personal business anyway so every owner must look for ways to enhance their productivity.
Well……..Tanden has to be more careful while collecting rural based stories. Livestock office is not unequal in terms of technical support and veterinary services between group owned farms and private farms. Farmers need not necessarily come to the livestock office to collect medicines. Livestock officials deliver the medicines to their doorstep in times of emergency. Mr. Thewang is not the only farmer and the only citizen of this country. Livestock sector do the things in line with the policies. How can he expect the government to provide everything? Perhaps, Tanden can form a government where all things related to poultry will be provided to the individual farmers. I don like to see such stories being highlighted in your esteem media. Before writing it, the reporter should contact the dzongkhag officials to understand the policy guidelines.