Securing native chicken market linkages could transform rural economy: Experts

Despite vast potential for expanding local or native chicken production, rural farmers are being deprived of fair prices due to weak market systems, disease outbreak, a shortage of quality chicks, and the dominance of middlemen. 

Against this backdrop, stakeholders believe that establishing an integrated value chain from production to marketing, directly connecting farmers to markets, and ensuring fair pricing could transform the local chicken sector into one of the key drivers of Bangladesh's rural economy.

These views emerged at a national-level roundtable discussion titled "Building a resilient Native Chicken Economy in Bangladesh," held yesterday (7 June) at the TBS conference room in the capital. 

The event, which was jointly organised by Heifer International Bangladesh and The Business Standard, attended by government officials, researchers, poultry sector entrepreneurs, development organisations, and farmer representatives.

Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Md Mufazzal Hossain noted that nearly half of the country's total poultry population consists of indigenous or native chickens, and around 70% of rural households raise them in some form. Even a modest improvement in the sector's productivity, he said, could make a significant contribution to national animal protein production.

He pointed out that native chickens have stronger disease resistance and can be raised at relatively low cost. However, major challenges remain-including Newcastle disease, a shortage of quality chicks, inbreeding, and weak market linkages. While rural farmers sell local or indigenous chickens at around Tk450 a kg, the price in urban markets reaches up to Tk600-700 per kg. 

He also called for cooperative-based marketing systems, linkages with supermarkets, easy access to credit, and a dedicated government project for the development of native chicken.

Sharing her experience, Roshni Akter, a farmer representative from Baraigram, Natore, said her income from raising native chickens has grown significantly through training and technical support. 

She stressed that without adequate nutrition, egg production drops and profitable farm management becomes difficult, and called for affordable quality feed and market support for the small farmers.

President of the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC) Md Moshiur Rahman emphasised that ensuring biosecurity and rapidly delivering domestically produced vaccines to the field level are essential for the sustainable development of the poultry sector, noting that demand for eggs and poultry meat is rising rapidly, and consumer interest in native chicken has also grown noticeably – supermarkets that once stocked it occasionally now maintain near-regular supplies. He also called for waste management to be included as a condition of farm registration.

Shoshi Ahmed, a faculty member at Rajshahi University, said there is significant potential to substantially increase native chicken production at the rural level. While most households currently raise an average of 10 chickens, proper management and modest investment could raise that number up to 70–100. She stressed the importance of regular vaccination for disease control and ensuring improved housing conditions. She also emphasised the need to develop cooperative-based value chains to ensure the commercialisation of the native chickens and fair pricing for the farmers.

In her welcome address, Country Director of Heifer International Bangladesh Nurun Nahar said that strong partnerships among the government, private sector, research institutions, and development organisations are essential for the sustainable development of the indigenous chicken sector.

She said the time has come to move beyond isolated projects and adopt long-term, nationally coordinated programmes, with equal importance given to increasing production, improving market systems, ensuring fair pricing, and food security – alongside biosecurity and hygiene standards at the market level. Through coordinated efforts and effective policies, she added, it is possible to build a sustainable and safe production system for the indigenous chicken sector.

Speaking as chief guest, Md. Shahzaman Khan, Director General of the Department of Livestock Services, reaffirmed the government's commitment to developing indigenous breeds and local livestock.

He noted that through research, improved indigenous chicken breeds capable of laying 140-170 eggs per year have been developed. Since 80–90% of farmers in Bangladesh are still at the marginal level, building their capacity and increasing their income remains critical.

He stated that ensuring four key elements – improved breeds, proper housing, balanced feed, and regular vaccination — would make indigenous chicken farming more profitable, and that the Department of Livestock Services aims to work with all stakeholders toward this goal.

Participants collectively emphasised the need for coordinated policy support, stronger extension services, and accessible quality chicks and vaccines, as well as the development of cooperative-based marketing systems — all of which, they agreed, would enable the indigenous chicken sector to play a vital role in rural employment, nutrition security, and economic development.