Feed for chicks has become costlier leaving adverse impact on poultry farm in the State as well as in Palamu.
A 50 Kg feed bag, which was two months ago sold at Rs 1,700 or Rs 1,800 is now around Rs 2,100 said a chick farmer Subodh Gupta of Lami Patra village in Palamu. This has resulted in jump of price per Kg too, which has risen to Rs 40 plus from Rs 33 to 34 a Kg high rise of feed price has caused shut down of half a dozen chick farm in Parwa block said Gupta.
Chick feed comes to Palamu from two states UP and Chhatisgarh. A trader of chicken Nafis Khan said feed sellers here prefer feed firm of Chhatisgarh’s Ambikapur as its weight and quality both are above question. An official of Ambikapur of Chhatisgarh Shriman Agrovet Pvt Ltd said on the condition of anonymity, “The jump in price of chicken feed is all because of price increase of wheat soya and maize the prime ingredients of chick feed. This official further said feed price has hiked just because ‘feed material’ has become costlier.”
Nafis Khan said it is no easy work to rear a one day chick that becomes a ‘bird’ (chicken) in 26 days if fed adequately and properly.
A bird which weighs one Kg and 6 hundred grams consumes feed worth one Kg and 800 grams. Khan said the rise of feed price has reduced the profit as in chick business it is the middlemen who rule the roost most. The cost of chick, its medicine, vaccination and a very delicate rearing of it in farm all are a big drain on the chick traders now.
Subodh Gupta said a one day chick was sold for rupees 20 per chick which last month rose to 45 to 50 rupees per chick which has now scaled down to 40 rupees a chick. Chick farming has its own hazards as it is to be saved from snake and ferocious cats which remain desperate to raid chick farms.
Chick feed is much categorized. It is called pre starter feed for one day chick and then is starter feed for mid way chick and finally the finisher feed after which the chick by now is a bird is saleable.
Chick traders have urged the government to set up feed farm in Ranchi as then it will cut cost of the transportation of it from UP and Chhatisgarh.