A local poultry farmer from Butibam village in the Lae District of Morobe province is appealing to the Provincial Government to step in and assist local poultry farmers. Wilson Bogan’s call was in response to complaints raised by local poultry farmers who have been making a loss as their customers are no longer buying live birds from them.
Instead, customers are going to a local company to purchase live birds at a lower price than and this is causing a loss of business for many of them.
Bogan started his poultry business in 2009. Like many local poultry farmers, this is his source of income.
The profit he gets goes to paying his children’s school fees, clothing, food and other basic necessities.
It takes about six weeks to look after the chicks until they are ready for sale.
A box of baby chickens costs about K200, and almost K100 to purchase a 40kg stock-feed bag for six weeks until they are ready for selling.
Now, it takes up to nine weeks for him to sell out his chickens and the profit he makes now has dropped compared to that of previous years.
He says this year is a tough year for him, business is not growing as he expected and he is losing customers.
Bogan adds this is because the local firm has now gone into selling live birds.
The firm operates as an industrial business in the coffee, agribusiness, and poultry sectors.
Bogan is appealing to the provincial government to look into the situation and assist the local farmers.
He is asking the provincial government to have a dialogue with the concerned company so that the business can be given back to them.
