Load shedding: Taleb’s farm costs rising, production falling

Abu Taleb is a farmer from Golaghat village in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur. He has been involved in the poultry industry for about 25 years. His farms are spread across his own village and several nearby villages. In some, he raises broiler chickens, and in most sheds, he raises layer chickens for eggs.

He told Prothom Alo, “The biggest problem we are facing is electricity. There is hardly any electricity at all. Out of 24 hours, electricity is unavailable for 15 to 18 hours. In this intense heat, due to the lack of electricity, the chickens are dying. And if we run generators, the price of fuel is so high that we can no longer survive by buying fuel and running generators.”

The poultry industry is facing a disaster due to the ongoing fuel and electricity crisis in the country. Particularly marginal farmers in rural areas are struggling to sustain their businesses due to load shedding and high fuel prices.

Abu Taleb was found at his home on Friday afternoon. To explain the current situation, he took this correspondent to one of his poultry farms in nearby Sohadia village. There, it was seen that there was no electricity. Two generators were running continuously. Taleb said that since a storm last Wednesday, there had been no electricity until Friday afternoon. In addition, regular load shedding continues.

Taleb also spoke about difficulties in buying fuel, saying, “To run generators, we are not getting diesel. We don’t get fuel even after standing in queue at the filling stations. We have been forced to buy fuel from outside at Tk 30 to Tk 50 more per litre.”

Explaining how the electricity crisis affects egg production, Abu Taleb said that if layer chickens do not get light at specific times, egg production decreases. Without artificial ventilation, chickens become sick and may die from strokes. If water cannot be supplied on time, chickens suffer from heatstroke. In extreme heat, the overall (production and physical condition) of chickens declines. Due to the lack of electricity, chickens suffer from diarrhoea because of the heat. Extra vitamins have to be administered. Overall, costs increase but production decreases.

Abu Taleb said that previously, the electricity cost for 1,000 chickens was Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000. Now it has risen to around Tk 15,000. Currently, he is incurring a loss of about Tk 2 per egg compared to production costs.

Drawing the attention of authorities concerned to save the poultry industry and farmers, Abu Taleb said that considering the current situation, uninterrupted electricity supply for the poultry sector or subsidised fuel must be provided. Otherwise, the crisis will continue to worsen. This will reduce the supply of eggs and meat in the market, and the price of these key protein sources will go beyond the reach of ordinary people.

In this regard, Sreepur Upazila Livestock Officer Ashraf Hossain said that uninterrupted electricity is essential to save this sector. The issues have been communicated to higher authorities.

If the electricity problem cannot be solved, at least ensuring priority access to fuel could help save the poultry sector, he added.