By Lal Gunesekera
Poultry farmers say they fear a shortage of maize in the near future. The industry requires 200,000 MT of maize per year, but the Yala season yielded only 60,000 MT, which was 40 percent less than the required amount.
President of the All-Island Poultry Association (AIPA) Dr. D. D. Wanasinghe told The Island that they had requested the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade as well as the Treasury to permit them to import the required quantities of maize and it had been agreed upon three months back on the condition that the maize importers should purchase the local product when it was available.
He said that an agreement had also been signed between two major local animal feed manufacturing companies, but as it had not yet been implemented, they had written again to the Cooperative and Internal Trade Ministry to approach the Treasury once again on this matter and have the cess on maize reduced.
Dr. Wanasinghe added that if the cess was not lowered, maize prices might increase to Rs. 57 a kilo from the current price of Rs. 47. Maize prices have increased in the world market by about 15 percent.
He said that the feed industry was unable to provide the required quantities of maize to farmers and requested that
the cess be reduced so that the imported maize would cost Rs. 35 to Rs. 37 a kilo.
He said that the poultry industry was concerned that if the cess concession was not granted by the Treasury, the industry would face another setback.
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