The sharp price hike of poultry feed, bird flu panic and the lack of
insurance coverage has caused as many as 17,990 poultry farms to close their
farm gates and shut down between July 2007 and January 31 2008.
Officials have said that this amounts to approx. one-third of the total
farms. The poultry industry was once flourishing, contributing 4% to the
country's GDP.
A survey conducted by Poultry Industries Coordination Committee found that
around 50% of the closed farms were forced to suspend operations due to the
surge in poultry feed prices, while 35% were closed on account of bird flu
panic.
