Cabinet approval to solve animal feed crisis
In view of the acute shortage of corn, a proposal made by the Minister of Agriculture to allow the National Food Promotion Board to import 25,000 metric tons of corn or other suitable grains to produce animal feed has been approved by the Cabinet.
Although licenses were issued to import 225,000 metric tons of corn for this purpose prior to December 31, 2022, only 38,000 metric tons were imported by the end of June due to the foreign exchange shortage.
The price of a kilo of corn in the domestic market has increased to Rs. 220 and therefore, the price of chicken and eggs has also increased. Meanwhile, it has been observed that there may be a severe crisis in the poultry sector in the future due to the sale of eggs without hatching them. Accordingly, the Government Information Department said the new decision has been taken to import animal feed.