Now that poultry birds in Paro are recovering from the illness caused by supposedly contaminated feeds, the egg production is bouncing back. Although the poultry farmers are elated with increasing egg production, they are equally worried about imported eggs affecting their already troubled business.
Damcho Tshering, 32, has about 3,000 laying birds. Over 1,000 more birds will soon mature and join the laying flock. He said the birds stopped laying eggs after supposedly contaminated feeds were fed. Off late, his birds are recovering and are laying about six cartons of eggs daily.
Like him, Dawa Bidha, 47, collects over seven cartons of eggs a day. She has more than 7,000 birds on her farm.
The Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation planned to import eggs as an interim measure to curb the shortage in the country. And farmers are worried now.
“We got compensation from Karma Feeds for causing a loss in our business, for that we are grateful. But the compensation could cover only 20 per cent of our loss. If the government imports egg we won’t be able to recover our losses. I believe that the government doesn’t have to import eggs,” said Damcho Tshering, a poultry farmer.
“After the government announced that they would import eggs from other countries, egg dealers are reluctant to buy our eggs. They say it’s expensive. We had to cut our normal price of Nu 3,300 per carton of eggs to Nu 3,100 now,” said Dawa Bidha, another poultry farmer.
If not for the lockdown and movement restriction, dealers say they can supply enough eggs for the capital and nearby districts.
“We have to seek e-pass due to the lockdown and we don’t get the pass immediately. It takes more than two to three days sometimes to get registered for an e-pass. There are six to seven cartons of eggs every day from every farm which accumulates to a large stock when we are stuck for two to three days. The eggs start to rot then. Moreover, when shopkeepers ask for eggs, we can’t reach it on time,” said Thinley Wangmo, an egg dealer.
The Agriculture Minister said if the country produces sufficient eggs, the government will not import eggs.
Meanwhile, the country is yet to receive the first consignment of imported eggs.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
