Soybean shortage will cause the supply of broiler chicken to decrease, pushing their prices up and increasing food insecurity in the country. The warning was communicated to the government by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) through a statement released from the office of its President, Saqib Rafiq. Rafiq said that around 130,000 tonnes of soybeans were lying in the port waiting for clearance.

The market value of this much soybean is PKR 22 billion and if they are not cleared in time, they will rot and lose their nutritional capacity. He added, “If the soybeans are not cleared in time, 30,000 poultry farms will be closed, 300 feed mills will have their operations disrupted and PKR 1200 billion worth of investments will go to waste. The poultry industry employs 1.5 million people and caters to 50% of the country's meat demand.”

He continued, “if soybeans do not reach the poultry farms in time, it will reduce the supply of chicken in the market, driving up prices and having a multiplier effect on the prices of other sensitive price index essentials.” He said, “This effect has already started to become visible. Soybean is one of the main ingredients that goes into the preparation of feed for chicken, fish and cattle.

The whole industry will shut down if the supply of soybean is not ensured.” Saqib Rafiq further added that in the next two weeks, not only chickens, but eggs will also be not available in the country, and there will be a shortage of milk and meat in the entire country. This should be considered as an SOS call, he said. He demanded that the authorities should realize the seriousness of the issue and immediately release the soybean seed at the port so that there is no food insecurity in the country.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk