Chitwan, March 18
A total of 236 hatcheries have ceased operations in Nepal following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Nepal Poultry Federation. The closures occurred as hatched chicks failed to sell at production cost after the pandemic.
Before Covid-19, there were 348 hatcheries in operation nationwide, but only 120 remain, said Federation Vice-President Tikaram Pokhrel. Similarly, the number of layer hatcheries has declined from 14 to six.
Before the pandemic, hatcheries produced 5.5 million broiler chicks per week, but output has now dropped to 3 million. Layer chick production has also fallen from 250,000 to 130,000 per week.
According to Pokhrel, the production cost of a broiler chick ranges from Rs 55 to Rs 60, while that of a layer chick is between Rs 120 and Rs 125. Rajendra Lamichhane, Senior Vice-President of the Nepal Hatchery Industry Association, stated that hatcheries shut down because they could not even recover production costs for two years after the pandemic.
“Recently, the price of broiler chicks has risen to Rs 70–75 per chick, while layer chicks cost between Rs 130 and Rs 150,” he said. However, hatcheries and poultry farmers continue to struggle due to low chick prices, rising feed and medicine costs, high bank interest rates, and the illegal import of chicks from India.
